Tell me you want to be my lover
by Unconfident
Summary: Before the cold steel of the kitchen knife could make contact with Yuri's flesh I slid my arms tightly around the shaking girl in a painfully tight embrace. "Stop, stop, stop, stop, STOP IT!"
1. Chapter 1 An alternate decision

"I want you all to myself."

"And I will be only yours."

"doesn't that sound perfect?"

"Tell me, Anon.

"Tell me you want to be my lover."

"Do you accept my confession?'

…

…

No. How the hell could I.

"No."

Yuri's face rose creepily from her usual neutral placidity. She beams an irresistible smile in my direction. This was not the kind of reaction I expected. My stomach turns. Although I had never experienced rejection myself, I had seen it in a hefty amount in anime and games. The reaction I anticipated was completely off, but the fact that I had anticipated a normal reaction from her at all was moronic. Yuri begins to laugh just as sweetly as the smile that still hangs almost painfully across her lips.

Did she not hear me? Had I unknowingly answered yes whilst subconsciously thinking that I had rejected her? Her laughter became ragged and bordered on the lines of becoming horrible to listen to. From horrible to horrifying, she began to scream. Her eyes lose their placidity, her smile loses its sweetness, and she all but tosses aside her usually composed and shy elegancy. Like the dreadful snap of a violin string, her spine-curdling laughter pierces my eardrums, and skin.

"AHAHAHAHAHA"

Yuri pulls out a kitchen knife.

Absolute panic raids the oxygen stored within my boiling blood. Hot bile begins to surge up though my tightening throat as I writhe backwards a few feet fully expecting the keen edge of the steel to cut into the flesh of my own neck or chest. I'm going to die. I'm going to die. I'm going to die. My head rings with nothing but insults to my own life. As I throw my hands to my mouth in a disgusting haze of sick and anxiety, I notice Yuri bringing the knife towards her heart.

She's going to...

"Yuri!"

Before the cold steel of the kitchen knife can make contact with Yuri's flesh I slide my arms tightly around the shaking girl in a painfully tight embrace.

"Stop, stop, stop, stop, STOP IT!"

I repeat myself desperately as her body reverberates and quivers around me. The knife still holds itself in Yuri's spasming arms ready to cut through our flesh and bone. I bury my face into her figure as I repeat soothing comforts into her ears over and over.

Yuri's breathing slows and the laughter that once spewed uncontrollably from her throat begins to be replaced with quiet sobbing. An unnerving clang of metal on the hard, polished floor of the clubroom assaults her delicate composure as she yields. As the knife drops to the ground Yuri wraps her thin arms around my back. In embrace we slide down to that same floor where the knife still sitting centimeters away from her glares temptingly. With a still shaking arm I throw the knife across the room and it skids away with a metallic assault to the silent crying of the broken Yuri in my arms.

The low sun gleams through the windows of the clubroom in the early hours of sunset. I wait patently as the shaking in Yuri's body dissipates away slowly until only her hands tremble on the small of my back. Yuri's cheeks glisten with tears and her long eyelashes play off of her closed eyes. Her skin is as white as a sheet and the only thing convincing me that her heart is still beating, is the slow, even breaths that escape from her lightly parted lips. In the short time we were together like this, Yuri had passed out.

"looks like we'll be spending the weekend together after all."

A long silence fills the room as I concentrate on Yuri's slow breathing, to sooth my own.

"Hey! Anon! long time no talk!"

The overly motivational and equally adorable voice of the famed school idol graces the ears of I, a mere mortal.

"it's only been a few hours, Monika."

I said this even though those few hours felt like days. I let my dry, exhausted tone seep through the phone to hopefully spare me from anymore of her teasing.

"Hehe~ So, what's up Anon? you sound, a bit…"

her voice trails off.

"Monika, I don't think we should participate in the festival."

There's a small silence on the other side of the phone. By the time Monika responds she sounds almost either annoyed, or angry. It was probably both.

"And why's that, Anon?"

I was surprised at the assertiveness of her tone. It made remember how much of a natural born leader she was, and it made me realize that even if Natsuki, Yuri, and I decided not to participate in the festival, Monika would likely just take on the entire project by herself, and probably nail it. That's just the type of person she is. Despite this, I struggled to answer her question properly.

"I-I don't really have a reason."

It was hard to lie to this girl.

"Is that so."

Her assertiveness again intimidated me. I felt that if I talked to her any longer I would be forced to confess everything.

"Y-yeah."

A low melodic hum filled the silence.

"Well, if that's really what you want, I guess I have no choice, Anon."

Wait, what? Why is she agreeing? Why would she?

"Fwaah, now I have to take down all the flyers, and explain everything to the teachers. Jeez, you're giving me such a big task Anon. you better treat me to something in return you know... I don't do favors for nothing~."

This was now the second time I had sold my soul to her irresistible smile that I'm sure she was wearing on the other side of the phone. I felt like I had dug my own grave. wanting to end the conversation quickly I hurriedly complied.

"Sure, that's fine. Look, we'll talk about it later ok? I kind of have something to do…"

A small sigh escaped Monika's lips, she then quickly composed herself to give a final statement.

"Here's Monika's writing tip of the day! whenever somethings bothering you, make sure you talk it out with someone you trust! And never underestimate how much people care about you! Wait, how is this a writing tip? Oh well, whoopsie…"

"Well, I'll see you Monday, Monika."

I placed the phone back into its charging station and pressed myself against the wall. I pushed my fingers into my temples as I thought over everything that had happened today and realized that I still hadn't stopped shaking. After a few long moments I heard a small noise coming from the other end of the house. I hadn't turned on any lights yet, so the house was quite dark. It was just after the sun had completely disappeared over the horizon and only the faintest of light peered in through the windows which lit the house in an unsettling crimson glow.

I creeped towards my room which was where I had left Yuri for the brief five minutes I was gone. Then, in an instant, I was suddenly filled with a horrible feeling in the very pit of my stomach. I tried not to run through the dark hallways, but I could barely contain myself. I had nothing sharp in my room so there shouldn't be anything to worry about, yet the feeling never left. I slowly turned the handle on the door only to push it open even slower.

"Yuri?"

My anxiety was quelled as I peered at the girl wrapped up in the covers of my bed.

"H-hi, Anon."

Yuri buried her face in the mattress, and even curled up slightly into a ball under the blankets. It seemed that she hadn't stopped shaking either. Even under the dimly lit covers the slight trembles were clearly visible. After a few seconds Yuri poked her head out of the sheets, her smoky eyes only barely visible in the dying light.

"I-is this your house?"

"Yeah."

"And your room?"

I nodded slightly.

"O-Oh."

Yuri ducked her head underneath the covers again. Audibly I heard a small inhale from underneath the blankets and I cringed slightly when I realized what she was doing. Yuri eventually pulled herself from the bed and sat up groggily as she started to play with her hair that had become messy from sleep.

"it's a nice room. It's quite tidy."

I sat down on the bed next to her leaving a quite considerable distance between us.

"You sound surprised…"

"Wah-! No! I didn't mean it like that! I just meant that it's nice that you like to keep it clean! Not that I thought you wouldn't. Ah, sorry."

It was comforting to see Yuri fall all over her words, and I was glad that she seemed to be acting normal.

"it's fine. I was just kidding."

Yuri giggled shyly and held a small smile on her lips as she nervously fidgeted with her silky hair. Suddenly a blush dusted her cheeks as she turned to me meekly, and without holding any eye contact.

"U-Uh, Anon… Where's your bathroom?"

The same blush began to assault my own cheeks almost as if it was contagious.

"Oh, um. Just go down the hallway and then to the end most door on the left."

Yuri got up heavily and began to wobble as her legs started to give way underneath her. I raised up from the bed as I darted to catch her. As our bodies made contact I felt a noticeable recoil from Yuri.

"Um, did you want me to walk you there?"

"Oh no its fine! That's just a bit too embarrassing. Please excuse me."

The small clock on my bed side table ticks ambiently through the silence as I anxiously wait for Yuri's return. I collapse down onto the bed and welcome the relief from my strained joints and muscles as if I had run a marathon. Another topic arouses my senses as I notice a light strawberry fragrance lifting from the blankets. I bring the sheets to my face and inhale Yuri's scent. I cringe as I realize the hypocrisy in my actions. Images of Yuri's deranged expression begin to invade my head, and the sounds of her psychotic laughter repeatedly stab at my nerves and mind. The events of the past day play on repeat and fill my brain with fear and terror. The sounds of pipes and waterworks suddenly bring my attention back to the situation at hand.

I just wanted to forget everything.

Yuri enters the room silently. As she closes the door behind her I awkwardly stand up. Apprehensively I walk over to Yuri and bring myself within incredibly close distance between us. I grab hold of her left arm tightly. Please let me be wrong.

"A-ah, Anon."

Sucking air through her teeth in pain Yuri moans quietly. I look into her eyes deeply, and Yuri looks back with lust. She did it again in the bathroom.

"Wait here."

Yuri nods and I leave the room.

I find myself in the bathroom staring at myself through the cabinet mirror. I bring my fingers to my black hair and hide my horrible expression from myself.

"Even if I have to lie to her, or fill her head with sweet nothings."

I pull back the mirror to reveal the contents of the cupboard and retrieve two items. I close the cabinet door to meet again with my reflection. I feel sick looking at myself right now.

"I want to at least try."

I renter my bedroom to find Yuri sitting on my bed fiddling with her long hair. the room is almost completely dark with only the smallest indications of light which makes it difficult to make out even just Yuri's figure or face.

To aid with our vision, I scoot up close towards Yuri on the bed, and gently whisper to her whilst looking deeply into her eyes.

"Yuri."

"Anon…"

"Take off your blazer."

Yuri hurriedly complies unbuttoning her grey school uniform. Yuri's breathing is heavy and long, and the blush on her skin is deep red. As soon as she finishes unbuttoning her blazer she delicately lays it on the floor. I then tug at the chocolate colored sweater. She hastily removes that and throws it onto the ground. Finally, to her white undershirt I tug at it softly. Yuri moves uncomfortably and looks away.

"I, u-uh."

I bring my arms to her chest and carefully unbutton each small plastic button and I slowly slide the thin shirt from her small shoulders.

"Oh god, Anon…"

Yuri lays down on the bed exposing her elegant body. Her cream white bra graces over her smooth skin like liquid silver and her strong hips extenuate her lewd position and expression which is endearingly messy. I place myself over Yuri and I delicately take her arms in my hands.

"Yuri. Do you-"

"Yes! With every ounce of my being! I'm yours! Make me yours! If you don't, I feel like my blood will boil inside my skin!"

I fell like a puzzle piece into Yuri's figure and fit tightly above her shoulder as I position my mouth right next to her ear.

"Yuri, just, calm down."

I placed soft kisses across her neck then delicately brought my lips to her cheeks. I then used my right hand to cup her face and kiss her forehead. I could feel her ragged breath on my neck.

"Yuri, do you love me?"

Yuri's eyes watered slightly. Her breathing slowed as she brought a hand to my own face and brushes a long black bang behind my ear.

"Do... Do you love me?"

Yuri's voice was pleading.

I finally brought her lips to mine as we sealed the unbearable distance between us. After a long stream of passionate kisses our lips parted. Still on top of her, I picked up her right arm and held it. As I traced my fingers down her arm fresh cuts streaking red and exposed flesh trickled down every inch of her radius from her wrist to her elbow. A fine collection of scars and blood made their vile home on Yuri's arm.

"Yuri, why."

"I… can't help it…"

I find the items I brought from the cabinet and started to open a small jar. I dip my fingers in the cool, gel-like sensation of the healing ointment, and begin to rub it generously over Yuri's wounds. Yuri gasps in pain.

"I'm sorry."

In an attempt to comfort her I placed my head above her right shoulder next to her ear, and began to kiss and whisper sweet nothings to her. All of course lies, and I feel horrible for it. After finishing with the ointment, I grab a long bandage and slowly wrap it around her arm making sure never to break eye contact with Yuri. after tying off the bandage I bend down to her ear again.

"Did you want me to do the other arm?"

"Yes, please."

As I let go of her right arm Yuri slides her left fingers out from between her thighs and a thin string of glistening fluid trails from her fingers. As I begin the rub the gel onto her left arm I take her coated fingers into my mouth and lick her fluids.

"Yessss…"

Yuri proceeds to get herself off with her right hand.

"Ah, ah, ah."

I finish by wrapping a second bandage around her arm and quickly tie it off. Yuri's moans quicken as I lean into her ear.

"Never take these bandages off, Yuri."

Yuri writhes beneath me. Her fingers work furiously at her entrance as she claws at my back with her free hand.

"If you ever feel the urge to cut yourself. I promise ill take care of it for you."

"Oh my god, Anon, I'm going to-"

Yuri trails off in an uncontrollable sequence of moans. Panting desperately, she brings my face to hers.

"Anon! Let me look at your face when I cum! God, I've never felt so high!"

I rest my forehead against Yuri's rocking body.

"Just, please, Yuri! let me take care of you! I never want to see you like I have these past few days. It hurts so much to see you do this to yourself! Let me fix you!"

Drool leaks from Yuri's mouth as she moans through each word in her essay in likeness response.

"If your love makes me feel like this. If your love makes me feel this good. Then I'll gladly never cut myself again! Let my blood be the words that fall from your lips. All I want to hear is that you love me!"

All she wants to hear is that I love her.

"I…"

"Yes, yes, yes, ah!"

I can't look at her.

And I won't be able to look at myself.

"I love you."

Yuri convulses violently beneath me as she thrusts her fingers deep inside herself. Her eyes roll backwards as she pulls my lips into a messy, yet passionate kiss. Her tongue wraps around my own as she moans directly into my open mouth.

"A-N-O-N!"

Yuri collapses from exhaustion. She brings her arms around my back and pulls me down to her in a shaky embrace. She buries her face into my chest as she catches her breath and slowly it begins to quell from its raggedness, to normal levels. After half an hour in her warmth we slowly retract from each other's bodies.

"Anon, could I, um… could I use your shower please?"

She promised me she wouldn't do it anymore. however, I still feel slightly uneasy.

"I don't see why not."

Yuri smiles and rushes to the door. Before she falls out of sight, Yuri pokes her head back into my room.

"I-is there a change of clothes I could use?"

That totally slipped my mind

"Oh, yeah some of my older sister's clothes should still be here. I'll lay them out for you."

Yuri sheds a sigh of relief. As she walks towards the bathroom I hear her footsteps linger for some time before coming to a complete halt. I suddenly hear her run back to my room. She stops just before the door way and keeps herself hidden.

"Uh, Anon?"

"Yeah?"

"Could you… say it again. I'm afraid that... in the bathroom I'll."

Her quiet voice breaks in timidity.

"I love you, Yuri."

God, I hate myself for this.

Yuri breaths deeply. On the other side of the door I hear her quietly utter words of encouragement to herself. With one final peak in my direction she runs off to the bathroom. The sound of the shower quickly follows.

I can't believe how disgusting I am.

"I should probably be getting home."

I feel uneasy about this.

"You, live alone, don't you Yuri?"

She nods in response. As we sit at the kitchen table with the lights finally on, Yuri starts playing with her hair still wet from the shower. It glistens with purple radiantly.

"I want you to… stay with me tonight."

Her smoky eyes light up.

"E-eh? No, I couldn't possibly. I've already been enough of a burden to you today."

I take a small sip from the oolong tea Yuri prepared earlier and its warmth staves off the chills, and keeps my hairs from standing up on my arms. I swirl it around in its cup and look off to the side awkwardly.

"You really have never been a bother to me, Yuri. Also with the festival and all it would be convenient for you to stay."

I say this even though our part in the festival has already been canceled. I can see that she wants to stay, so if I give her the tiniest incentive to, she'll definitely agree. Yuri nods to herself as if what I said is a justifiable reason. Which it wasn't.

"Yes, that's true. I'll stay with you then."

After much persuasion Yuri ended up taking the bed, and I took the mattress on the floor. After an hour or so of silence, Yuri who I completely thought was asleep began to slip out from her bed, and crawl into the blankets of my own mattress and into my arms. The haze around us instantly glows with warmth. I open my eyes to see her softly glancing at me.

"A-ah, sorry. I thought you were asleep."

Of course, I couldn't get to sleep with what happened earlier.

"No, it's fine. I haven't really been able to get to sleep either."

A light smile dances on her lips. She closes her deep purple eyes and nuzzles into my chest. Her warm breath then begins to heat my torso.

"Thank you, Anon."

With the source of my fear huddled warmly next to me. She with the same mouth that spewed that hysterical laughter, and she with the same hands that held that cold steel blade with a terrifying bloodlust. Somehow the thing that frightened me most, was that I was able to fall asleep so quickly with her in my arms.


	2. Chapter 2 A procrastination on going out

"Ah, ah, ah, ah."

Wait, what's going on?

"waaaake up, Anon!"

Who the hell-… oh, right.

"Wake, ah, up, ah."

My eyes stir open a fraction as my still fogged mind begins to put together the images and sounds assaulting my heavy body this early in the morning. Why do I feel like I've gained at least half my own body weight? I raise groggily from my mattress in confusion only to be pushed into something incredibly soft, and supple.

"Fwah!"

Suddenly the foreign weight on my crotch falls backwards apprehensively.

"S-sorry! I was just um, trying to… awaken you. S-s-sorry, Anon."

What was she doing? I rub the sleep from my eyes and stare at the girl in front of me confusingly. I suddenly remember the night before as Yuri plays with her galaxy purple hair on the opposite side of the mattress.

The lightly pink pajama shirt I gave her last night plays over her figure and reminds me of something Natsuki usually wears. As my eyes trail further down her tight stomach I gasp lightly at her bare thighs. The grey, fluffy pants she wore were thrown across the room to my left, and I could just see the hint of Yuri's magenta lace underwear barely covering her. I embarrassingly note that I see an indication of a small wet line running down between her thighs. Yuri quickly thrusts her hands down to her lap.

"J-just where do you think you're looking, Anon?"

I blush and stammer over my response.

"R-right... S-sorry, Yuri. Um, good morning. did you sleep well?"

"Oh! Yes, good morning. I slept incredibly well last night. I didn't even have any nightmares! I mean, you were just so comfy, and I couldn't help but fall asleep listening to you breathe, and your heart beating… ah, what am I saying?"

I flash a small smile in her direction. Then fall backwards onto the mattress with a relaxing sigh.

"I'm glad you got a good night's sleep. You just seemed so exhausted yesterday."

"Ah, well that's…"

I blush whilst looking to the ceiling. Right, I made a promise to her. I close my eyes and focus into my internal heartbeat. I relish in its slow, even beating to think deeply about what I promised her. I open my eyes to calmly turn my head to Yuri, and look to her still bandaged arms.

"Your bandages are starting to untie. Come over hear and I'll tie them up properly."

Yuri looks away.

"Well, that's actually why I woke you up this morning… I was… I almost. I-"

Yuri cuts herself off. She puts her face in her hands as she slides towards me. When she reaches within hands length of me, she crawls on top of me and holds out her pale arms. both her legs spread themselves to either side of my waist exactly as they did earlier this morning. her elegant lingerie softly pushes against my crotch as she intimately sits on my body.

"But I waited for you, because I wanted you to fix it for me. Just like you promised. Please fix them for me, Anon."

As her weight pushes on my body I begin to gently unwrap the bandages, I then reluctantly lay my eyes upon the slits in her wrists and gently kiss my way up and down her arm over each cut until I reach her hands. Yuri bites her lip seductively as I begin to rewrap the bandages tightly around her right arm. As I reach the ends of her wrists I notice that Yuri has started rocking herself back and forth across my lap. The soft folds of her entrance kiss the tip of my sex as she begins to bite down on the tips of her left fingers suppressing her quiet moans.

"Anon, let me finish what I started this morning."

As I finish wrapping her second arm Yuri quickly breaks free of her own constraints. Yuri violently pushes down against my sex and pulls herself across its long hardness and roughly begins pleasuring herself with my shaft.

"Ah, Anon! your thing is so good!"

Yuri shoves her hands underneath her shirt and aggressively grabs at her own breasts roughly kneading them whilst occasionally pinching down on her perked nipples painfully bringing herself to an edging orgasm. Yuri bends down over my ear and pants heavily into it. Her hoarse moans arch my back in euphoria directly pressing into Yuri's wet slit. Her eyes roll as I begin to push myself against her. Our vicious grinding sends us both on the verge of an intense climax.

I bite down hard onto Yuri's neck sending the girl above me quivering in bliss as I stroke her exposed stomach and abdomen just barely sliding over the entrance Yuri's body. She locks her forehead with mine as she stares intensely into my eyes with a completely messy and erotic expression.

"Anon, I-I'm getting myself off on you! God I'm so pathetic! Ahahahaha!"

A boiling pressure builds up inside of me. I thrust carnally against her opening in a lascivious release of explosive desire and lust for the girl pleasuring herself with my cock. As she finishes me off, Yuri takes her fingers under her lingerie and works inside of herself hungrily. She takes her other hand under my boxers and wipes up my cum with her palm. Yuri thrusts her fingers into her mouth as she vulgarly gulps down the hot liquid. She brings her face deadly close to my lips as she fucks her own mouth and opening with her fingers. Saliva and cum dripping all the while from her hot, gaping muzzle.

"Sooo, gooood… Haaaaaaah…"

"I'm cumming, Anon! Look at me! Watch me cum on your thing!"

"Ahahahaha!"

"Ahahahaha!"

"AHAHAHA"

"MY GOD, ANON!"

I smash my lips into her mouth as she convulses deeply onto my cock almost sending me to a second orgasm. Images of her deranged laughter and her attempted suicide flood my mind as the horrible Déjà vu acts as a sickening plague on my mind.

I hug onto her figure tightly as I try desperately to stop her from going over the edge. As Yuri's whole body continues to shudder I linger my lips firmly on her own. I stroke her hair passionately whilst keeping the tight grip between us. I disconnect from her mouth and place my lips on her ear.

"Shhhh, it's ok Yuri. didn't that feel good? I love you, shhhh. Just stay with me like this."

How can I lie to you like this? I should just die.

"Ah, ah, ah, aaah, aaaaah. A-n-o-n."

Ring, ring.

Ring, ring.

I spring up from Yuri and I's cozy tomb of blankets.

"What? The phone?"

The girl next to me suddenly stirs.

"eh, phone?"

I get up quickly and dash to the dining room. The phone rings annoyingly with a blinking red light. who would be calling this early? Unless…

"Hey, Anon~. Morning!"

Yep. I was dead on.

"Monika… hey. What's up?

"Well, I was just wondering when you'd like to go out for our date of course, Anon~."

"D-date?!"

I say this a bit too loud.

"Only kidding silly! Unless… you really did want to take me out on a date?"

"I- uh…"

As I attempt to formulate some semblance of a response, Monika lets out an exaggerated sigh from the other end of the phone.

"Jeez, I was only joking."

The both of us laugh quietly through the phone. She's such an ass.

"So, Monika. Did you need anything? You're calling pretty early."

Monika lets a sly string of giggles escape into the phone whilst emphasizing the tone of her voice, sounding almost like she's about to scold me. I nervously fidget with a random piece of string in my pocket much like Yuri fidgets with her hair when she's anxious.

"Well, I wonder about that Anon…"

The piece of string snaps in my fingers.

"W-wonder about what?"

There's almost no time between my question and her reply.

"Well it's just that, Yuri likes to get up at this hour too. Just a funny coincidence I guess."

I stand dumbfounded. I feel a single hair stand up on the nape of my neck as I try to respond quickly to hopefully raise as little evidence to my tenseness as possible. I feel slightly off, but there's no way Monika could know that Yuri's here.

"Yeah, funny coincidence I guess."

Horrible response.

"Anyway, Anon~. Are you getting up to anything today?"

"Actually, I think I might go into town for a bit today. Just to buy some groceries and such."

This of course was a half-truth. In reality I was planning on taking Yuri out.

"Oh my, do you live alone, Anon?"

I scratch the back of my neck in habit at my usual response to a personal question, even though no one was around to see it. But in truth, I felt almost like someone was watching me, so I felt a little anxious and pressured to act as natural as possible.

"Well, yeah most of the time. So I cook my own meals and such."

I suddenly hear Monika clapping on the other end of the line. I have no idea how she was able to clap considering she should have her phone in one of her hands.

"I'm impressed, Anon! I'd really love to try some of your cooking someday."

I decide to humor her horrible joke from earlier.

"It's a date then!"

"W-wait, really?"

I mockingly laugh at her slight, almost unnoticeable stammer. I then sigh the exact same exaggerated way she did.

"Jeez, I was only kidding."

Monika mumbles angrily over the phone. We both giggle again.

"Hey, Monika?"

"hmm?"

I fiddle with the two broken pieces of cotton in my pocket.

"Am I… a bad person?"

I say this like she has any idea what I've done. Yet I still feel like my emotions will come across to her anyway. I almost take back the question and tell her not to worry, yet she answers with her endearingly earnest attitude.

"Well, beauty is in the eyes of the beholder, Anon. I know that doesn't necessarily apply to what you're asking, but It's the same basic principle. The ideas of good and bad are relative to the person. So, if you believe you're bad, you'll be bad. But if you believe you're doing the right thing, then that's fine too. It's all very interesting, isn't it?"

I completely stop all my actions.

"Anon?"

"You're right Monika. Completely right, as usual."

I audibly hear Monika choke slightly on the other end of the phone. But she quickly composes herself.

"W-well, I'm glad I could help. That was also my writing tip for the day, So, don't expect any more freebies!"

That wasn't even remotely about writing.

"Anyway, I've got to get breakfast and get ready to head out, so I'll be going. Thanks a lot for calling, Monika."

I'm sure she's smiling again irresistibly on the other side of the phone.

"No troubles! See you soon, Anon!"

I click the phone back into its station. Then I begin to process what she actually said.

"see you… soon?"

I physically feel chills go down my spine.

I lay back and press by back into the wall. Much like the night before I rethink over my daily activities. I review my loose plans for the day and sort out what needs to be done, what I could do better, and how I should manage certain situations. I push my fingers against my temples as It quickly begins too much for my early morning mind to sort through. As soon as I think myself relaxed, Yuri walks through the kitchen doorway fully alert and elegantly composed in contrast to my brief unkemptness.

"What are you doing?"

I realize how much of a strained face I must be wearing and quickly compose myself, inspired by how much of a morning person Yuri seems. I sigh and smile back at her briefly.

"It's nothing. I was just wondering what we should have for breakfast."

Yuri smiles back sweetly as if she wasn't expecting me to reply. With a smile still drawn across her lips she pushes her hand to her chest and speaks bashfully.

"I've already had breakfast, so I don't really have an appetite."

A single hot, erotic shiver runs through my spine. Surly she didn't mean…

Yuri's puts her hand over her mouth in utter shock of herself. clearly, she didn't mean to say that out load. She then whispers with dread.

"Did… did I just say that out loud?"

Yes, yes you did.

"Y-yeah."

"fwah!"

Yuri suddenly runs up to me with her hands dashing about the air in visible regret. With our noses almost touching, Yuri hurriedly tries to explain herself away as best she can.

"Anon, I promise I didn't mean it like that! Please don't think I'm weird! I can't believe I really just said that!"

She definitely meant it like that. Yuri crouches down to the ground and puts her head between her knees. Her hair touches the ground as she silently groans to herself. I suddenly feel the urge to pet her head. Which I indulge in.

"haha. It's fine, it was a funny joke alright?"

Yuri raises her head.

"really?"

"Really."

Yuri stands up with her cheeks almost completely strawberry red. She moves closer to me to place her head against my chest and pouts. Her smoky purple hair closes off her face, and blocks her expressions. She's completely and utterly embarrassed.

"I'm such an idiot… I'm sorry for being so strange, Anon."

I place my arms over Yuri's back and stroke her hair gently.

"I was actually thinking that I wasn't that hungry either. So, if you want, we could go grab something while were in town?"

"in… town?"

I nod into the top of her head.

"I need to grab some groceries anyway, so I was thinking we could go and watch a movie or something to pass the time."

Yuri pulls from my arms and looks into my eyes for a bit. She then strides towards the window and pulls across the curtains to reveal a lazy looking morning, coupled with mellow sunlight and white fluffy clouds.

"Yes. A movie sounds nice."

Yuri then quickly turns around in panic.

"But what about the festival! We must start preparing. There's no time for movies, Anon!"

I then smile as I recall that I hadn't told her it had been canceled. I walk over to the window to Yuri and quickly wonder whether I should tell her, or not.

"Well… I kind of called Monika and had her cancel our booth. You haven't been feeling well and all, so I just figured it would be best if we didn't participate. I'm sure Natsuki would agree as well."

"Canceled? Gosh I'm pathetic. I can't believe it… I've ruined it for everyone."

I lightly bump Yuri with my left shoulder.

"Hey, hey. I ruined it for everyone. It was my decision. And besides, no one really wanted to participate anyway."

Yuri pouts at me quietly.

"Well, I guess its already been done, right? So."

Yuri stretches her thin arms out in a finely constructed relief of sleepy muscles.

"So, we should definitely make the most of our free day."

Bingo.

"Ah, but can we stop at my place first? I need to change. I can't go out wearing these pajamas."

Yuri pulls slightly at the large hem of her pink top in confirmation of her point. I glance at Yuri in deep thought.

"Hmm, but you'd look so cute if you went out like that."

I close my eyes and nod my head rapidly in confirmation

"W-what? Not a chance!"

It was worth a try.

Yuri stands in front of me wearing only her cream white bra and her incredibly sexy purple lingerie. She nervously holds up two casual one-piece dresses, one with a red and pink checkered hem coupled with an enchanting deep blue backing, and the other her usual sophisticated deep purple strewn with black and blue flowers. Yuri holds the two dresses in front of her chest as she avoids my gaze nervously.

"W-which do think suits me more, Anon?"

"I, um, l-like the blue one…"

I shift my gaze away as Yuri rushes into her closet presumably to get dressed. To my surprise however, she comes back out with the blue dress, and two pastel pink stockings. Yuri places the stockings onto her fluffy bed, and begins to sensually slide into the dress. She elongates each of her movements as she covers her long legs and tightly formed stomach and hips into the blue cloth. She then turns around and pulls her hair away slowly from the nape of her neck.

"Could you please zip me up...?"

I quietly walk over to Yuri and place my fingers on the zipper trying desperately not to give in to the urge of letting my teeth sink into her white neck. I slowly zip her up and Yuri gently leans into me in the intimate contact. I pull the zipper through the last small distance and then lean into her left ear.

"Can I put your stockings on too?"

Yuri shivers into my body.

"Yes…"

Yuri hands me the fine pastel stockings. As Yuri's body and back continue to press into my front, she softly lifts her right leg. I take her foot in my hand as I slide the tips of her toes into the pink cloth. Yuri corners her left arm around my back as she pushes our bodies closer together. I continue to gently pull the stocking up her leg deliberately lingering my fingers on her silky skin. Yuri's lets out a long, breathless moan along the entire distance I rise up her leg. I stop my motion briefly as I reach the tip of her thighs. Yuri rubs my back with her palm and claws at my skin with her fingers in anticipation.

"Go on, go higher, Anon."

I obey as my hands teasingly reach up into her inner thigh slightly lifting her skirt. I pull the stocking up as far as it can go and let it loose with a crisp noise as it slaps hard onto the most intimate part of her thighs right below her dripping sex.

"Ah. Sorry, Anon, you've never really touched me like this before. So it's just… so erotic for me."

I lift my hands from between her legs and throw my arms around her waist as I continuously kiss at her exposed neck. Her flesh is so supple to my lips and the light shivers she gives off when under this kind of pressure is intoxicating on my own body.

"I know I've said this before, but god, you're so intimate… Yuri."

Yuri turns around in my arms and brings a hand to my cheek.

"I want to watch you do it this time. Put on the other stocking."

Yuri sits down on her black bed onto the fluffy sheet and pulls at a tuft of the soft material as she extends her bare left leg towards me. I kneel down as I feed Yuri's leg into the other stocking. This time I kiss into her thighs as I bring it higher. I quickly finish tucking it up and lift the hem of her skirt to expose her pretty abdomen and musky entrance. I run my tongue along the extremely small space between her stockings and laced panties. Yuri whimpers in response as I suck down her lower stomach just millimeters above her hot sex. She then lets out a raspy growl as she grabs hold of her breasts.

"Hurry up and touch me!"

By some cosmic anomaly, Yuri looks at the clock before diving into her quivering lust.

"Ah! Anon, wait! Were going to miss the train!"

We both spring up as we exit Yuri's home as fast as a pair of fletched arrows. We sprint towards the train station, whilst the both of us are secretly annoyed at our interruption, but also just as happy that we were finally going out on our first date together.


	3. Chapter 3 The Murderer and the Elegant

I sped towards Yuri through the extensive crowds carrying two large donuts. One covered in a fine coating of cinnamon and powdered sugar, and the other filled with a sweet hot raspberry jam. I pulled up a chair and sat down at the metal table shaded by a large parasol as I handed the cinnamon donut to Yuri. she ripped the thin packaging and hastily bit into its fluffy sweetness. Her face lit up as she swallowed.

"So yummy!"

I laughed as I took a bite into my own. Fresh steam rose from the donuts jammed core as I smiled at its sweetness. We then both took a sip from our coffee's. Yuri with a latte, and I with a cappuccino.

As Yuri watched me smile at her slightly out of character response to a sweet food, she cleared her throat awkwardly and straightened her back.

Yuri from the other side of the table propped her head up against her hand and closes her eyes to let out a sigh. With a small smile placed over her glossy lips, Yuri then connects her gaze with mine in a deep shade of purple, just simply watching the time go by.

I jump a little as a small black shadow appears in the corner of my eye. It disappears as I turn to it…

"So."

Surprisingly, Yuri initiates the conversation as she stirs her cappuccino with a small spoon. She rips the top off a packet of sugar, and lets the powder fall into the drink. Her spoon hits the side of the coffee cup audibly as she stirs it slowly, and thoroughly.

"It's been a strange few days, hasn't it?"

I laugh slightly as I pour a second sugar into my own cappuccino. Yuri's warm smile catches onto my own lips as I look warmly to her.

"I might as well take this chance to thank you. For… you know. Everything, Anon."

Yuri takes a small sip from her drink as the warmth visibly fills her body.

"Even though it's only been two days. It just feels like so much longer, don't you think?"

I take a sip from my own coffee, and the same warmth fills my chest.

"You don't have to thank me. It's not like I've really done anything. Nothing good anyway."

Yuri places her cup down onto the table with a slightly furrowed look behind her beautiful eyes.

"You think that nothing we have done together has been good, Anon?"

I look across idly into the rippling of a water fountain to my left bubbling lightly in the soft summer breeze. I cease to say anything to her as the twinge in my heart escapes to my eyes, and movements as my face turns downcast. Yuri then pulls her hand to my left cheek and brings our eyes together.

"I don't know what you're referring to. But everything you've done for me these past days is something that I could never give to anyone… no matter how hard I would try."

No, you're wrong. You're so wrong.

"You brought me from hell, onto the beautiful blues and greens of the earth again. I was so tired of seeing nothing but the darkest of reds on every surface. But then you just… pulled me out from one of my darkest of moments."

Yuri slides her hand through the tips of my long, black hair as she looks to me unflinchingly. The same smile still lights up her half-lidded eyes as she speaks her mind like an elegant poem.

"I can't begin to describe how much I love you for doing that for me, Anon."

I find it difficult to speak to her through the tightness of my throat.

"Yuri. I…"

"Anon? What's wrong?"

Up until now, all that had been filling my mind like a vat of black smoke was the idea that Yuri could snap at any moment. The idea that as soon as I left her alone, or as soon as I said or did something wrong, she would fold her cards, and die. That feeling made me feel terrified at every moment we spent together. Yet, I somehow felt that I couldn't be without her. After seeing Yuri try to end her life before my eyes, everything just became so fragile and cold.

In the aftermath of her confession, I swore to kill the murderer, and protect the elegant. Selfishly I took on the role of the hero. Even though I had no place to do so.

Yet somehow, I felt justified.

Just what the hell was wrong with me to think that I should have any say in how people live their lives.

My heart beat rose dramatically as I saw something creeping deeply in the back of my eye for the second time. A small spasming figure rippled away behind the water fountain in a dark contrast to its crystal blueness. My breathing begins to accelerate as my palms shake.

What the hell was that…

"Anon? You're making a really scary face…"

I jolt slightly. I bring my eyes back to Yuri and try to compose myself.

"W-what?"

Yuri just sighs in response.

"No, It's nothing. Can I have some of yours?"

"Huh?"

Yuri points at the sweetened dough in my left hand slightly dripping jam onto its wrapping paper. I tear off a bite sized piece, dip it in the jam, and hold it out to Yuri. She makes an exaggerated sound as she leans over to claim it with her mouth.

"Aahn."

She takes her tongue to my fingers as she wipes up the excess jam. As I recoiled my hand Yuri cocked her head and giggled girlishly. She's … acting slightly differently today.

"Well anyways, we don't have to talk about our relationship right now if you don't want to, Anon. Did you want some of mine?"

I finally shake off the last pricks of the painful tugging at my heart. I just want to enjoy my time with her right now.

"sure."

Yuri bites a bit off her cinnamon donut and holds it in her mouth. She closes her eyes as she leans towards me, intending to pass it to me through her mouth. I stare at her for a few moments as she leans forward. Yuri opens one eye and produces an annoyed hum from her throat. I give in, and lean towards her. She really is playing forward today.

Yuri presses her lips against mine. Through our kiss Yuri opens her mouth around mine, and with her tongue lightly pushes the doughnut between my lips. As the cinnamon dough slips down my throat her wet, soft tongue slithers inside of my mouth and becomes entangled with my own. Shivers run down our backs as our lips make the intimate, sugary contact. Yuri hums a hot moan into my mouth as she slides her hand underneath the table and grabs my fingers. She pulls them towards herself slowly as my hand slides under her dress, and under her laced lingerie to glide over her bare sex. She sinks my fingers into her wetness as she pushes my hand hard, and seductively against her crotch. Her tongue still barley slips in my mouth as she moans deeply into me. Until…

A single hair stands up on the nape of my neck.

I break from our kiss as my eyes flurry open, and the sound of my heartbeat beats deeply through my eardrums.

I glace around the plaza to find nothing wrong, and nothing out of place.

I stare frightened at every corner I can see… almost as if everything in the plaza had been replaced with an exact copy of itself.

A colder shiver runs through my spine as I try to slow my breathing. Yuri looks at me inquisitively as she wonders why I broke our contact so early.

I place a hand at my chest to check my heart rate only to find it beating sporadically, which makes me feel extremely uneasy. I frighten myself as I wonder if in the brief moment we both had our eyes closed, that something horrible was behind us.

What the hell is following us. It's starting to scare me…

A cold wind blows westward as I rub my hands at my side. A strange coincidence I'm sure… but it didn't help ease the scraping feeling in the back of my mind.

I glance Yuri wondering if she had felt what I just had. I look at her only to see Yuri's face buried in her hands, coupled with her shoulders lightly shaking under her gorgeous dress.

"I-I can't believe I just… d-did that, in public. Aha… I'm pathetic. God I'm so bad. What's wrong with me, Anon? I need to go. I-I'll be right back, Anon."

Yuri throws herself out of the chair and runs towards the bathroom on the other side of the plaza. I quickly leave our half-finished doughnuts and coffee as I chase after her. I dart into the small concealed hallway leading to the restrooms and grab her arm tightly just before she makes it through the doorway of the female bathroom.

"N-no, Anon. Let go of me. I really don't feel well right now."

She makes little effort to budge from my grip as her body begins to hang lifelessly over my arms. her voice croakily thickens as she turns around and rests her body onto mine almost as if all of her strength was leaving her.

"There's something wrong with me today. Just let me go relieve myself, Anon… just this once…"

R-relieve herself?

"Yuri, no! I'm not just going to sit by and wait while you cut yourself in a bathroom…"

Yuri grabs onto my arms violently. She picks herself up as she shoves her face towards mine. Yuri's eyes glisten redly with tears and her pupils dilate as she grits her teeth and uncontrollably shakes my body with her hands clawing at my skin in rage.

"What the hell makes you think you should have any say in how I live my own damn life, Anon! You have NO place doing this to me!"

She's right, she's right, I know she's right but why the hell can't I accept that.

I push her up against the hard brick wall and grab at the collar of her dress. I grind her back into the rough surface as we stand there in locked gazes. Yuri breathes hysterically as her eyes furrow into daggers in an intimidating expression of anger and fear. Yuri bears her teeth as she growls dangerously at my force. She then grabs at my own white shirts collar with her sharp nails and fingers as she pulls my face closer to hers in response. Her words bite at my eardrums in her incredibly deep and horrible impatience with me.

"Well, Anon? Just… what… is… it?"

What the hell am I doing?

"Would you stop me… if I tried to kill myself?"

"wh-"

"No, just listen, Yuri!"

Yuri jolts slightly. She gives a silent nod as she submits herself. Yuri's body finally goes limp, I take her from the wall and hold her gently by the shoulders.

"If, right here, right now I stuck a knife through my heart. Would you just let me die?"

I give in to this horrible feeling in my heart as I spray my words at her softening face.

"Because if that's the kind of person you are then I want nothing to do with you."

"No, Anon! that's not what I meant! Please don't say that to me, it hurts, it really hurts when you say that, Anon… Of course I wouldn't let you…"

I sigh shakily in relief. Small pin pricks of water light up my eyes as my throat tightens, and my eyes redden in this strange expel of emotion to this even stranger girl in my arms.

"Yuri, we're lovers. I'm yours, and you're mine. So, whether we ever actually wanted it or not, we're a part of each other now. That's why I have every right to try and stop you. That goes reverse as well. So I just can't let you do this."

Yuri's face transforms to a girlish softness as tears well up behind her eyes and her lips begin to quiver.

"Anon, does that mean…"

"That you-"

"l-o-v-e… me…"

Her half-lidded eyes close over as she expels a deepest breath she was holding. Yuri collapses into me, and begins to breath softly into my chest as her smoky purple hair glides down over my torso. I take my hand to her back and lightly stroke her silky hair. we slide down to the ground as she soundlessly lays asleep in the dim hallway.

Its not a coincidence that at this moment Yuri had passed out. I felt my heart beating in my ears as I brought my arm to my face only to see the hair standing up from end to end over my radius. I smile as I look down the hallway.

A familiar chill begins to run over my spine as a cold wind blows through the tunnel like hallway. I hold Yuri tighter in my arms as I catch a glimpse of a strange shape spasming at the far away end of the steadily darkening hall. The sounds of a hollow wind funnels through my ears as slow footsteps approach the entrance to the pitch-dark tunnel.

The footsteps grow louder with the passing time, and the shape comes closer to us. I bury Yuri into my chest and arms, then, I close my eyes to and wait patiently for whatever has been following us.

The slow, even footsteps cease mere inches away, and for a few moments, the thing stops all movement. My pulse deepens as I feel something touch my face. Something incredibly warm traces from my cheek delicately to my ear, and pushes a small tuft of my jet-black hair behind it.

"Are you okay, Anon?"

Time passes as we find our self's back at the shaded table.

"Well, I'm glad I got here when I did at least."

I sit in the chair under the parasol. Underneath the table my hand claws at my shirt nervously. Something doesn't sit right with this entire situation.

"You see, sometimes Yuri just gets over stimulated. So, her body eventually gives out if she gets no relief. She really is fragile, Anon, so you should keep a closer eye on her you know?"

I look over to Yuri sleeping in the chair to my right. Her mouth hangs slightly open as she snores away in a light summer breeze. I push a strand of her smoky hair away from her eyes as I sit silently in unsettling thought.

"Ahem… Anon?"

I barely register her calling as the fountain continues to bubble to my left. A mundane chatter fills the plaza as the conscious two of us sit at the table idly. I take my eyes to the chestnut hair of the sinisterly beautiful girl tapping her finger on the metal of the table. Her face rests in her hand as she waits for any kind of response. I angle my eyes towards her half lidded, and deeply bothered.

"Sorry, Monika, there's just something bothering me I guess."

Hey eyes light up as I give my first real response to her in the time we've sat here. She gracefully places her chin in her other hand as she tilts her head sideways and smiles sweetly towards me.

"What's up, Anon?"

Although she smiles, her straightforwardness counters her sweetness. Almost like she knows she can dispel anything I have to say to her. I simply lock gazes with her. I speak no words as I feel she would understand everything I have to say, even if I didn't say it. I talk to her through my eyes with an expressionless expression that's impossible to describe. So much filled this expression, that her smile began to vanish. Monika took her hands from her face as she sat up straight and met my gaze with more silent intensity. I shivered as I observed Monika's beauty, and fright.

"I love your eyes when you look at me like that, Anon."

…

She was never the one to blush. I shivered again at Monika's complete seriousness that made her seem so womanly.

"I wouldn't deny that I enjoy yours, Monika..."

She angles her head slightly down as she entangles her emerald green eyes with mine further. She smiles jokingly as she breaks our intense gaze.

"Jeez, Anon, don't go cheating on your beloved. She's right there you know."

She laughs mockingly.

"Monikaaaaaa."

"Right, right, I'm sorry. Touchy subject."

My heartbeat softens a little as we talk normally with each other. Although its clear Monika knows more than she's letting on, I forget everything for a small while as we converse happily, and typically.

I'm pathetic to accept that, and worthless to ignore what's wrong with this whole situation. Yet still, she comforts me, and I can't help it.

"Hey, remember yesterday when you asked me if you were a good person, Anon?"

Right, I actually did that.

"Yeah. Why?"

"Well…"

Monika stares at the half-eaten jam doughnut on the table.

"This is yours, right? Can I have some?"

So, she was watching us. She was the black figure convulsing in my eyes.

"Sure."

Monika picks up the doughnut and takes a small bite. Her face lights up as the sweetness hits her taste buds. Monika puts a hand over her mouth as she goes back to the topic at hand. She speaks cutely with her mouth slightly full.

"It's just my intuition, and I'm sorry for prying but."

Monika swallows.

"Are you leading Yuri on, to stop her from killing herself?"

I turn away instantly as guilt creeps into my chest, and throat.

"I…"

My face sinks into my shaking hands. I pull at tufts of my jet-black hair as my voice croaks. I laugh as I find no will to speak of what I already know.

"I really am a horrible person, aren't I… ha…"

Monika reaches over the table and quickly puts her arms to my shoulders in a strange, undeserved warmth.

"No, Anon… No you're not."

…

"You have always been kind. Never horrible."

…

"There's nothing more kind than those who put their needs after others."

…

"I want you to listen to me very carefully, Anon. You're not a bad person. You're a very good person, who bad things have happened to. The world isn't split into good people and bad people. We've all got a little bit of light and dark inside us. What counts is what part we choose to act on."

…

I cave in.

we embrace each other.

After some time. Monika breaks away.

"Well. I should probably go before she wakes up."

"You're leaving already?"

"Mmh."

Monika picks up her purse from the ground. The wooden chair squeaks a little as she raises from the table. A small sigh escapes her lips as she walks over to me, and leans down slightly to my figure.

"Well, here's Monika's second writing tip of the day!"

I thought she said no more freebies.

"Next Saturday at five o'clock meet me at the station, and we'll go for that dinner you promised me! ~"

I remember no such thing.

"Okay, Anon?"

Slightly exhausted I smile up at her.

"Sure."

Monika gives me a final gorgeously sweet smile as she dashes off into the crowds.

What a strange person she is.

I continue to ignore everything as the smoky haired girl next to me begins to stir.

What's wrong with me…


	4. Chapter 4 The temperature of the ocean

Our feet click quietly in unison on the hard stone path. We passed building after building in the now quieting city, and neither of us said as much as an idle comment on the occasional thought in our slightly clouded minds. The hardness and geometricity of the city's grey quaint alleys and streets brought a pleasing yet slightly uncomfortable atmosphere as we made our way to the movie theater still with the thought of continuing our date together, despite the circumstances of our small argument.

A small wind blew across us as It ruffled my hair, and swept at Yuri's elegant dress. Yuri put a right hand to her face as she blocked her silky hair from assaulting her eyes and mouth. As the day grew colder with the passing time I felt my hands chill in the wind. I looked at Yuri for a moment before I moved my right hand to her fingers to take her hand in mine. Yuri jumped slightly and looked over to me as she fiddled with her smoky hair with her other hand. Yuri smiled lightly at the gesture as the warmth of each other's blood staved off the cold in the southern wind.

As we continued to walk through the city towards the theater the conversation began to pick up again.

"You know, Anon. I don't think I've ever bothered to ask but why don't you live with your family?"

This question takes me aback slightly and I scratch my neck awkwardly while responding.

"Well, I have an older sister that I used to live with. But she's studying abroad in Europe now."

Yuri's silent for a moment as she expects me to continue. As the silence elongates she eventually picks up the slack slightly invasively, but curiously.

"And your parents?"

I hum slightly as I think of my response. I've never really understood why this subject was so difficult to talk about.

"They travel a lot for work. So, I only get to see them once every few months. I do love them, but… its hard not to feel like you've been a little… abandoned you know?"

Yuri squeezes my hand lightly in comfort. She then scoots a little closer to me as she speaks quietly.

"My parents live out in the country, so, they sent me here on my own for a better education. They couldn't come with me because of their work as well, so I live alone too."

I squeeze her hand back. We smile at each other silently and I find it easy to tell how Yuri really feels through how expressive her eyes are.

"It's funny, I guess we're both lonely by nature… so it makes sense how we ended up together like this. Don't you think, Yuri?"

The girl in question laughs slightly at this.

"Elegantly put, Anon."

She squeezes my hand again.

"but you really are right..."

As my mind dawdles, I realize how lonely Yuri must have been her whole life to the point of death being a more preferable companion for her.

"My parents should actually be coming home soon. So, if you've got the time you should come and meet them, Yuri."

She jumps in surprise. A crimson blush covers her cheeks as she leans in closer.

"R-really? Meet your parents? That makes me happy that you would want to introduce them to me, Anon."

We continue to walk together as Yuri keeps smiling softly, unable to hide her emotions as she embarrassingly tries to turn away.

"W-what are your parents like, Anon? For some reason I can't imagine what kind of people they would be… ah, sorry! I-I meant that in no offence!"

I giggle at her.

"It's fine. Well, they're really kind and always wanting the best for me and my sister. I'm sure they really do miss us, even if they don't say it… Anyway, I'm positive they'll like you, Yuri."

Yuri looks up with a slightly worried and embarrassed look. I then add something to my sentence with a smug, playful grin.

"And I'm sure they'll be proud of me having such a cute girlfriend."

Yuri's face turns red.

"W-w-w-w-what?! A-Anon!"

I snicker as she fumbles around anxiously and falls over her words.

She uses her right hand to smack at my shoulder playfully as she pouts. We both continue to giggle as the time passes on and with our hands still interlocked, Yuri grasps my fingers tightly as she asks me something I didn't fully have an answer to.

"Anon, were you serious about that?"

I don't know.

"About what, Yuri?"

I knew fully well what she's talking about.

"W-well… about me being your-..."

Yuri cut her sentence short as we strode our first steps into the royal blue carpet and curved crimson red walls of the cinema. The intense aroma of heavily buttered popcorn spills into our senses as we both comically inhale the rich smell in perfect unison. As we dawdle further inside the almost church like interior of the building, Yuri suddenly gasps as she spots an uncomfortably towering rectangular movie poster on the wall. She runs towards its intimidating figure and points at it with her index finger as she speaks quickly.

"Anon! We must see this movie!"

"Uuuh…"

I reluctantly take in the horribly creepy advertisement. A scene paints itself on a deathly pale blue backing. A single opened and hyper realistic eye dilated in the most insane of manners streaks over the middle of the poster in a way that sends horrible signals through my nerves. The red veins of the eye pop through the unnaturally pale iris like rivers of blood in deep lightning. A shiver runs down the bones of my spine as I read the title of the advertised film.

"A Portrait of… Markov…"

My voice hangs in the air like stagnate water.

"Yes! Yes! Yes! It's the book I gave you. And it finally got adapted into film! Isn't that great, Anon?"

"Y-yeah…"

"You did finish the book, didn't you, Anon?"

That's why I'm hesitant…

"Well, yeah I did, but…"

I can only think of one reason why I didn't want to watch this movie.

"Yuri… This movie… I don't think we should- "

Yuri then cuts me off confidently.

"Anon. I can control myself. I'm not so pathetic as to succumb to those kinds of desires on a whim. Although…"

Yuri walks towards me and puts her mouth over my ear.

"If you let me watch it. I'd be willing to let you do anything to me when we get home."

Fuck…

Within minutes we bought our tickets, some buttered popcorn, and then sunk into the soft velvet chairs of a comfortably tempered and empty theater room.

I couldn't lie that after finishing the original novel I was slightly interested at the idea of a film adaptation. However, as I knew what kind of scenes littered the book I was afraid of how gruesome of a movie this would actually turn out to be. I was also concerned on how it would affect Yuri, if at all. I hoped to hell that she wouldn't do anything… and I knew if she did it was all on me.

My fear only grew as the screen faded to color and the film began.

Oh Jesus…

Disgusting…

My stomach squirmed.

And Yuri squirmed in her seat.

The movie was turning into a perfect adaptation. Taking the books savagery and human mutilation word for word.

The infamous scene of human stitching and combination screwed with my head as it played over the screen. Yuri bit at her fingernails as she breathed heavily into her hand with sweat dripping down the nape of her neck and her legs quivering under her skirt.

"Oh my… this is so much better than when I imagined it in my head."

This sentence wasn't directed at me. It was instead a raw projection of her thoughts made into sound through her throat. The hideous scene continued on and Yuri sporadically took her hands away from her mouth. I felt a weight on my crotch as Yuri slipped her hand underneath my pants. She unbuckled my belt and unzipped my zipper as she silkily touched my hard sex. Yuri furiously palmed my cock as she leant into my ear with her hot breath falling onto my neck. She spoke to me whilst never taking her eyes off the flashing screen.

"Please, please touch me, Anon. God this makes me so wet…"

I lifted her skirt and pulled her hot lingerie down to her ankles exposing her dripping slit, to which she responded with an impatient squeal. I traced my hand over her wet entrance and she moaned hoarsely down my neck in response. She bucked into my hands and forcefully pushed two of my fingers inside her. I fucked her opening with my fingers slowly as the erotic sounds of our mutual pleasure filled the empty, dark room.

"Oh… my… God… This feels so good, Anon. Do me faster. Fuck you're so hard in my hand."

"Ah, Ah, Mmmh. Fuck."

Her dirty mouth started dripping with saliva as she turned to me with her half-lidded eyes lustily glistening with seductive sin. Yuri continued to curse and moan dirtily as my fingers worked inside of her erotically hot entrance. My own pleasure was at extreme heights as she quickened her pace on my sex, stroking it delicately from the sensitive tip to its thick base. Each of her movements on my cock sent waves of ecstasy down my spine through to every nerve in my body. Yuri convulsed as she began to reach her first orgasm.

"AhHH, make me cum, make me cum, oh god make me cum-uu-AAH..!"

Orgasm after orgasm hit her like a train as she continued to watch her porn on the theater screen. I Continually fucked her entrance with my fingers until every last drop of her fluids covered my hand and the seat beneath her. her tongue hung lewdly from her mouth as she reached ultimate pleasure. Her moans were croaky and unintelligible as she pulled herself out of her chair and down onto her knees.

"That's it, I can't take it anymore, Anon. I want it in my mouth…"

I only nodded through her breath slipping over my sex. Yuri took her long, dripping tongue and bled her saliva over my cock. As her smooth drool spread over my thing she took hold of my hardness and stroked the base of my shaft through her hot fluids. Yuri then looked into my eyes and slipped her tongue out of her mouth. she touched it to the tip of my throbbing sex and glided her wetness down my cock, lapping at it hungrily. She focused her hand and jerked off my base as she put her lips to my tip and kissed the head of my sex passionately. She then tightly slid my length through her lips and pushed it down into her hot and slippery throat.

Yuri bobbed her head up and down slowly as she took my entire length into her mouth. The feeling of her hysterical groans and hums from the back of her voice box vibrating my member slightly coupled with the practiced and intricate movements of her tongue, lips, and throat over my throbbing, hard sex was intoxicating. The aroma of our furious pleasure began to fill the room and choke all reason from our lusted minds. Yuri began to speak through her sucking and cutely slipped all over my hardness.

"dossh iff feel goo-, Anonn?"

I took my hands to her hair and thrusted her down onto my cock. Yuri choked and coughed down onto my thing as it hit the back of her throat.

"Don't talk with your mouth full… darling."

"Ooo, God, Ahhh. Sho goood"

Yuri groaned with ungodly euphoria.

Yuri's fluids dripped through her hands while she thrusted her fingers inside of herself hysterically as she fucked my cock with her mouth. Dirty sounds escaped from us loudly as Yuri began schlicking herself off to my sex in her throat until my awfully addicting ecstasy began to peek as I felt myself nearing orgasm. I moaned and encouraged at Yuri's expertly handled mouth as she hummed in response and quickened her pace, choking herself down on my sex.

"Oh God… Cum! Cum in my throat, Anon!"

As I crossed the final distance of pleasure, I felt something wet and long slide over my neck and up to my ear. The tongue like in sensation thing behind me continued to seductively lap and bite at my nape and ear whilst simultaneously beginning to play with my hair.

As the mouth of the strange figure opened over my ear, a soft yet intimidating and mature voice sent shivers up through my body.

"Your thing really is quite impressive, Anon…"

Why do I hear… her voice…?

The voice of someone other than Yuri assaulted my sensitive ears. Its familiarity played over in my brain as it pushed all over my buttons.

"I wish that was my mouth over you. But oh well. I guess all I can do now is help you finish, love."

M-Monika?

Yuri continued to gulp down my cock as she intensely brought me to the edge of a hard, irresistible orgasm. Monika's voice continued to play in my ear as I reached an incredible high of pleasure.

"I probably shouldn't call you 'love' aha, sorry, Anon."

I felt a delicate hand place itself over my cheek. The chilliness of Monika's phantom hand contrasted the heat of Yuri's blowjob intoxicatingly.

What the hell was going on. I can't think straight.

"Oh, I know what can finish you off, Anon!"

This apparition of Monika continued to whisper in my ear as I felt the pressure build up inside of my body. Yuri's wet lips and mouth continued to suck on my sex as the disgusting gore fest played over and over in the background.

"The one thing that you've always wanted someone to say to you. In a way that isn't clouded completely by a lust driven love, like this relationship with Yuri most definitely is."

I feel so good. So high…

"Anon. I'm going to confess. I love you deeply, and completely. You're my everything, love."

…What is this feeling…

"Ah! Oh my god! Monika!"

Yuri's head thrusted hard down onto my cock as I came into her throat. my hot liquid shot down her muzzle as she screamed deeply into my sex, vibrating It with the moans of her own mind-blowing orgasm. Yuri cupped her lips down hard on the tip of my shaft as she sucked out every single thick rope of my cum and guzzled it down with a hysterical string of moans and screams coming from deep in the back of her throat.

I finally felt a wet pressure on my cheek as Monika kisses me lovingly. I physically felt Monika smile into my face as her phantom touch slowly left my body. I looked behind me and saw nothing. Not a single indication that someone else had been here other than us.

Yuri lifted her head from my crotch and looked into my eyes. Tears started streaming down her face as she wrapped her cum dripping mouth with her hands and spoke softly.

"W-Why did you say her name, Anon?"

…

Her voice starts to crack as her horrified tone makes the hairs stand up on my arms.

…

"Were you thinking about her?"

…

Her breathing intensifies as she begins to cry desperately.

…

"you never really loved me, did you, Anon…?"

…

This sentence wretched from her throat dryly as her head hung lifelessly from her shoulders.

…

"you liar. Disgusting. You're a monster!"

…

I… know, … I… should… die…

…

"Anon, how could you do this to me? I t-thought t-that we-."

"I thought…"

"I…"

…

Her voice and words scatter into a thousand beautiful pieces.

…

"goodbye, Anon."

…

…

Yuri runs out of the cinema. I watch as the rest of the film plays itself and sit left alone with the disgusting blood and gore of this horrid movie.

I bathe in the kind of lonely reality I deserve.

…..

I stumble through the door to my dark, cold house.

"I'm home…"

No response. A lonely feeling bleeds into my heart. I drop onto my bed and realize that I can still faintly smell the hint of strawberries from Yuri's perfume. I get up without purpose and walk towards the kitchen. I pick up the phone without anyone to call. Yet I still end up dialing a certain someone's number.

Ring, ring.

Ring, ring.

"Hello? This is Monika!"

Monika…

"Hi… it's me."

A small silence from Monika on the other end of the line doesn't surprise me.

"I really didn't expect you to call, Anon. I'm… surprised."

I exhale a shaken breath through my lungs as I decide to confront her.

"Monika. It was you, right?"

Another small silence is sent in response from the famed school idol.

"Yes… Anon."

She responds submissively. I walk around the coldness of the house and find myself back in my room. I flop down on the bed with the phone in my hand still only faintly connected to Monika.

"Are you free right now, Monika? I need to talk to you in person."

"Aha~ I don't think that would be a good idea right now, Anon. Besides, we'll have plenty of time for that on our date."

I sigh in response.

"I'll see you at school tomorrow then, Monika. I just… need to sleep right now."

I attempt to press my finger to hang up. But the squealing from the girl on the line stops me.

"Wait, Anon! I'm sorry… can I just..."

She stutters.

"C-can I talk to you until you fall asleep?"

...

A flush of warmth fills from my face, down through my torso, finally to my toes.

"Ok…"

She laughs awkwardly in response.

"Aha. All the sudden I don't know what to say…"

I feel comforted in the fact that she always acts so casually around me.

"Oh, actually. You know how I've been practicing piano and stuff...?"

…

…

"well… I wrote you a song, and I worked really, really hard on it."

She sounds so flustered.

"I'm a little embarrassed to sing it. So, I'll just hum it if that's ok with you."

I hear the lid of the piano creek open ominously. Monika plays a few idle keys as small practice before she begins.

…

…

Amazing…

The lonely sound of an emotive pianist plays throughout the lonelier halls of this horrible monster's house. Slow, reassuring, and gorgeous. My eyes close as I snuggle into my bed and the water like music plays through my ears. Almost as if the music notes are their own entity separated from this world and their master. I drift off as the music cusses delicately over my heavy head.

Images of a body of water larger than any sea, or any dry land sit idly in my mind. A world of ocean sitting like a spherical sapphire glowing flawlessly into the darkness of space as it spins aimlessly in a black void.

I notice as Monika moves her attention to the deepest seas of the lower scales of the instrument. A soft voice begins to leave her lips to contrast with the deepness of the piano as she glides her breath over the majors, and sings it deeply over the minors.

Her delicate humming drops my images of a sea, to the bottom of this oceanic world. Crushed under a thousand feet of water in an impossible dark blue almost equivalent to pure blackness. In this darkness a body floats desperately in the middle of the world. The piano itself murmurs into ambiance as the delicacy of Monika's sweet hums fill this lonely constructed world of music with a familiar humanity. The floating figure's long brown hair moves like a spider's web in the ocean, gracefully floating in the impossible sea of nothing. The beautiful web of hair stretches miles across the world, yet its owner looks almost as if bound to it by chains.

The music and piano fade away like a fine dust in this impossible sea. All that's left is the rhythmic, deep humming of the ever-strange girl I secretly adore. The strange, floating figure wraps its arms around my back then buries its head into my neck warmly in contrast to the unbearable cold of the water. With its soft fingers it then presses our foreheads together. The figure opens her eyes to reveal Monika's signature, gorgeous, emerald green color. Then as if the water mattered not to the beautiful girl in front of me, she sealed the distance between our lips in an incredibly lonely embrace. As the kiss ended the familiar, and smugly comforting smile of Monika irresistibly stabs at what's left of my longing heart.

"I love you, Anon."

"Every thing's going to be fine, alright?"

"Just stay with me like this until you fall asleep."

"And then, in this lonely world…"

"I'll always be by your side."

"Okay?"


	5. Chapter 5 The red of the festival

I'm truly sorry for not uploading lately everyone. I've been on holiday for the past few weeks and I've barley had any time to write… I know that's not really an excuse, but I hope you all forgive me! Anyways, I've heard your calls, so here's the newest chapter!

Warmth of the morning dew and sun seeped through the slightly opened window above my bed. A dull, almost pleasing cool wind filtered through and cleared my mind wrapped in blankets of confusion, now turned resolve. A brisk stretch cleans stiffness and spreads deeply oxygenated blood through my stressed limbs and as my school uniform lays idle in the far end of my cupboard I move quickly to slip into it. Briefly on my way out I stop by at my mirror to reflect on my actions. As I slipped a few stray bangs behind my ears I chase my newly found confidence to the front of my mind.

I'd had enough of toying with people's lives. I was so sick of being so undecided, so ignoring of reality. I left through the front door into another lazy morning, and headed towards school and realized that It had felt like years since I had last gone.

I was going to set everything right.

As I walked through the neatly coupled houses along past the embarrassing lovebirds and chirping groups of friends I smiled in aloof at the normality of life in this moment. The blue skies, the neat streets, and the low humming of the odd car or bus helped wonders on my strained body and mind as my composure gathered itself, and my anxieties and fears seemed almost like distant memories.

I continued my walk until my path was met with another. My name was called from across the streets as the chestnut-haired girl quickly checked both sides of the street for traffic, then swiftly ran over to me with a light smile.

"Anon~! Hey!"

"Morning, Monika! How are you?"

Monika giggled slightly as she crossed the final distance to the footpath. Continuing to run towards me she adjusted her speed to a brisk walk and extended her arms towards me in hopes of a morning embrace.

"Better now that you're around, Anon!"

I can't toy with her like this.

I side step backwards a little as she leans in. she falls just short of grabbing me with her arms and proceeds to glance at me seemingly annoyed at my resistance.

"Jeez, people are staring, Monika."

She looks around briefly and shrugs her shoulders.

"I didn't think you really cared what other people think, Anon."

I smile at her.

"Yeah, you're right, I don't really."

I look off to a large, fluffy, summer cloud far off in the distance.

"I just need some space is all. We've been through a lot in a short amount of time, so, we wouldn't want our hearts getting confused. Am I right, Monika?"

She looks at me with a look that I can't quite place to anything in my emotional capacity. She bares the same smile as always, yet something else lays dormant behind it.

"You have no idea, Anon. You're absolutely right though."

She composes herself with a quick breath, and takes a few steps backwards in respect. Monika then looks off to the same cloud I had my eyes fixed on in curiosity.

"they're beautiful this time of year, aren't they, Monika?"

She giggles in response to my almost childlike observation.

"Are the clouds not just the same as always?"

I then move closer towards her and point to the cloud.

"Look there, see?"

We move our faces inches between each other as Monika fixes her gaze on the area I point to with my index finger.

"The clouds in summer are always more… full I guess… and fluffier too. Whilst winter clouds are flat, and often drier looking."

Monika hums slightly in understanding.

"Is that so…"

As we realize how close we are, we immediately move a few steps away from each other in slight embarrassment.

"It seems that reality gets a little better with you here, Anon. I guess I never really notice stuff like that."

We turn around and begin making the rest of our way to school.

"I wouldn't go that far, but I'll take that as a compliment."

We laugh silently at each other.

As the morning continues on, and our mild conversation ticks with the passing time, we near closer to the elegant gates of the school. We stop a little before the entrance as Monika fumbles around in her purse a little.

"What's up?"

She doesn't bother to make eye contact as she pulls out her cell phone.

"Ehe, just making sure it's turned off."

She replies as I mock her slightly and smugly.

"You really are boring sometimes, Monika. You need to live a little."

"Oy, oy. I most certainly do live a little! I just don't want to get in trouble…"

She then processes what she said in her mind. She sighs as she presses a few buttons and flips her phone shut. After a brief grumble she proceeds to speak her mind defeatedly.

"I just proved your point, didn't I?"

We laugh again.

I really do enjoy spending time with her.

"Oh, I just realized that you most likely haven't written a poem for the club today, have you, Anon?"

She glares at my apparent misstep. But I already hold a counter argument in my mind prepared to cut her down.

"Well, if you had been paying attention to anything else, you would realize that we have the festival today. Which means no classes, and no literature club."

She slaps her forehead in realization.

"Dammit, Anon, I spent all night writing one…"

I laugh as she throws her purse strap over her shoulder in annoyance.

"Well I might as well ask. Did you want to wander the festival with Natsuki and I?"

I then scratch the back of my neck awkwardly.

"Well… I was actually planning on going with just Yuri. I have a few things I need to apologize for after all. Sorry, Monika."

I stand confused as she looks at me with a concerned look.

"Did no one tell you, Anon? Yuri's gone to stay with her family for a few days, so she won't be here this week."

Oh…

She then takes a small notebook from her pocket and rips out a sheet of paper.

"Anyway, before I forget, you might as well read my poem, Anon. I don't really like how it turned out anyway."

She hands me the lined paper, and I gaze at it curiously before I take it appreciatively.

"Oh, thanks."

Before I get a chance to read it, the school bell starts to ring loudly through the grounds. We both jump as we begin to run to our respective classrooms.

"Drat! Just give it back when we get the chance, Anon!"

"Right!"

The day passes by without much incident besides my disappointment in Yuri not being at school today. Although… I do understand why. I push away the guilt in promise to myself that I'll set things right with her.

A short assembly of the student body later, we finally get the chance to check out the festival. I decide to go to the bathroom first before meeting Monika and Natsuki in the clubroom.

After finishing up I wash and dry my hands, then begin the slightly long walk to the clubroom on the far end of the school. I decide to take out Monika's poem and give it a quick read before I see her, and I read out it's slightly strange title aloud.

"Plans for date…"

What…

Is this what I think it is?

'six o'clock reservation at restaurant.'

'no matter what, make sure to explain everything to him.'

'after dinner go for a moonlight walk through the park and clear our heads.'

'hold his hand.'

'make sure the mood is right before we sit down at the bench overlooking the lake.'

'confession time (don't be a wuss, Monika!)'

'kiss him to show you're serious.'

'hopefully spend the night together if all goes well.'

'god I'm so nervous.'

Well. If that's a poem, it's a strange one. But, somehow, I doubt it is… I then embarrassingly and quite apprehensively stuff the 'poem' in my pocket

Before I reach to clubroom door, I hear shrieking coming from inside. Suddenly the door flies open, and Monika rushes out. She grabs onto the collar of my uniform and shakes me violently as my head rocks back and forth, threatening to fall off my shoulders in the savage rampage of the usually confident and calm chestnut-haired girl.

"ANON DID YOU READ THE POEM?"

!

"What? Uh… No! I didn't!"

With her emerald eyes honed into my figure like a predator to its prey, Monika reaches into my pocket and quickly snatches the 'poem' from my possession almost faster than my eyes could catch. In the cease of this inhuman speed Monika lets fly a flurry of breaths as she quickly composes herself without her usual grace.

"Thank… God…"

From the other end of the opened door I see Natsuki with her hands clenched to her sides in laughter. As she spies me outside the door she waves at me with a beaming smile and tries to steady herself. I wave back to her awkwardly as Monika scrunches the paper in her fist and shoves it into her pocket. Monika then gestures for me to wait outside the door as she softly walks back inside the clubroom.

"Wait outside for just a second, ok, Anon?"

The door shuts immediately. Yelling and murmuring from both Natsuki and Monika can be heard with the familiar pastel pink haired club member clearly trying to calm Monika down. Yet despite this, Monika yells and fumbles all over her words in a state of truly lost panic. I wince a little as I begin feel slightly bad for the now adorably poutful club president. After a short while the noise slowly quiets down into a steady quiet, and daintily the door opens again, but much slower and calmly.

In the smooth sliding from the door in front of me I stand to meet what I presume to be Monika greeting me awkwardly, yet I glance around the doorway to nothing as Monika sits stiffly on the other side of the newly opened classroom. I then turn my head downwards to unexpectedly make eye contact with the pink eyes of the clearly cutest member of the club, although I'd never say that out loud in fear for my life. I deservingly receive a small kick to the shins as Natsuki glares angrily at my having to bend down to see her as if I was mocking her height. Natsuki beams playfully in triumph as she finally decides to greet me with her adorably ear-piercing tone.

"Heyyyy! Long time no see, big guy!"

Natsuki enthusiastically punches me on the arm and winks at me with a smile. Her pink, fluffy hair much like the cloud Monika and I saw this morning bounces around full of adorable life and giddiness. Natsuki gestures for me to come in and I enter the familiar and comforting aura of the literature club. Her small figure follows behind me quickly as the three of us settle down all while Natsuki still somewhat silently laughs to herself in secret delight to our suffering.

"Sooooo, guy's. Do we wanna head out now? There are some seriously amazing food stalls I saw on the way here, and, if you ask me, it's not even a question if were going there."

Natsuki pipes up through the slightly awkward silence as she swings her tiny legs back and forth under the table she's perched on top of. She looks from Monika to me as she impatiently waits for an answer whilst tapping her finger on the chocolate colored wood of the table.

Monika simply stares into nothing on the other side of the room in an odd state of Zen. nothing but the small sounds of her breathing and the occasional slow blink of her gemmed emerald eyes indicate her consciousness as she seemingly struggles with something troubling her strange mind. Finally, after an extended silence, Natsuki sighs with clear annoyance and jumps off the table. She slides effortlessly over to behind the idle brunet and slides her hands to the girls unprotected sides. With the grace and care of a practiced thief, Natsuki plucks Monika's diary from her arms in the advantageous position she knowingly exploits from the unknowing school idol.

Natsuki then runs to the other side of the room and waves the diary in the air triumphantly with an adorably uninterested and inpatient expression. The thin pages flutter about in the stagnant air as Natsuki yells into the almost empty classroom with her famously stern, incredibly sarcastic, yet passionate tone.

"Oh nooooo some of Monika's poems have somehow magically come within my grasp! Oh, what to do but read them?"

Monika almost flips over the tables and chairs as she tears towards the obviously amused Natsuki. The fierceness in her eyes matches that of a lioness as she closes the distance between herself and her book whilst squealing with embarrassment and fear.

"Natsuki! Please don't!"

Natsuki giggles as she dashes around the room with the fierce lady stalking behind her, and surprisingly, she keeps ahead of Monika with impressive speed for her size. Her pink hair flutters like a patch of butterflies as she reads a specific poem out loud in deep concentration and jokingly poetic exaggeration of every word as I sit back in terrible amusement and pity for Monika.

"My love for him burns my soul into a deadly red ash… and I use this ash to construct my missing heart as I long to give my everything to him…"

Monika groans in pure cringe as she plugs her ears and shouts into the classroom in response to Natsuki's recital of her 'poem' turned love letter.

"Ok ok! I'm sorry for not paying attention to you… Just please give it back!"

Natsuki, finally satisfied, throws the book over her head to Monika. She catches it defeatedly and slowly turns towards me with a slightly pained expression.

"H-hi, Anon."

Awh.

"Heyyy."

In likeness to Yuri, Monika puts her hands over her face in embarrassment, and in my usual response to Yuri's small pouts I walk to Monika and place my hand over her head. She jumps slightly at the contact as I pet her soft hair in reassurance. Her cream white bow bobs slightly as she accepts the comfort.

Natsuki loudly snorts at as she strides towards us and triumphantly yells into the clubroom.

"Well, that's what you get for not paying attention~!"

I look over to Natsuki and growl at her annoyingly.

"That was a bit too far, Natsuki… Or, was that little stunt of yours your way of sharing poems? If that's the case, I'm sure everyone would love to read that interesting poem right at the back of your notebook…"

Natsuki jolts as if she'd been hit by a bolt of electricity passing directly through her spine.

"W-what? No way! How did you even know about that? You creep… Gross…"

Natsuki looked down to her toes as she realized her own hypocrisy. With some amount of strength Monika briskly moved her head from my hand as she stood up straight, and confidently. She looked into my eyes for a small while longingly before turning to the regretting culprit.

"You shouldn't toy with others like that, Natsuki."

Even though this seemingly mundane sentence wasn't directed at me, I felt Monika's sound intention creep around to the back of my mind guiltily as I felt my heart pound at my head heavily.

The fidgeting girl in question visibly recoiled at the club president. Natsuki's fluffy hair bounced in retaliation, yet she said nothing of the sort.

"R-right, sorry Mon…"

Mon? That's certainly a cute nickname… although, I guess its to be expected from the queen of adorableness. It strikes me as odd that I'd never heard Natsuki use it before. Perhaps it's a new thing. I suddenly feel the urge to tease Monika with this newly founded pet-name before bringing my attention back to the slightly tense situation before me.

I looked to the two girls as I thought of only one way to salvage the situation.

"Wanna go get some food?"

"Finally!"

"Sure."

The blindingly bright halls painted in a light cream led forward towards the colorful banners and streamers decking the halls in the long awaited festivities. Booths and stalls of an impressive diversity bled themselves into the empty storage rooms and unused classrooms of the school which seemingly burst with the same excitement and hyper activeness as the student body. As the usable space slowly dwindled away from the main building, even our usually lonely side of the school was filled with many interesting booths and delectable food stalls.

With the promise of food in our minds from the conveniently place menu board right outside the stall, the girls and I poked our heads into the particularly interesting room just across from our literature club. I used my hands to part the pristine white curtains draped over the entrance and strayed a few steps inside the cutely decorated room with Monika and Natsuki following behind me ambiently. The delicate aroma of fanciful teas and coffees fed into our body's, stimulating our heavy appetites and the similarly elegant decorations and quaint tables dotting the small room caught our attention as we wondered in unison what kind of stall this was.

"Welcome home, Masters."

"Wah!"

"Eek!"

"Huh?"

The small white-haired girl before us gave a low bow as she ignored our obvious surprise as if by second nature. If I remembered correctly, 'Misha' from the class next to ours daintily dusted off her rightly proper Victorian maid outfit. As Monika bowed back with words of greeting in cute apology, my eyes couldn't help but wander to the small girl's head and ears.

A cat-café.

Oh god… it's this kind of place. We need to get out.

"Oh my God! You're so cute, yes you are!"

Natsuki fluttered over to Misha in pure bliss and began stroking the clearly frightened girls fluffy cat ears and playfully swaying tail. With one hand on Misha's long white tail and another on her face, Natsuki began to pull on the girl's squishy cheeks as she smiled gleefully.

"Awwwh, look at you! You're so cute I wanna die! Can I keep you?"

Misha began to uncomfortably swing back and forth as she tried to escape from Natsuki's iron grip.

"U-uh, Master… please don't pull so hard!"

Monika and I both took our hands to each of Natsuki's arms as we lifted her off from the distressed maid. Natsuki lashed at our arms in protest as she pouted at her separation from Misha's admirable adorableness.

"Noooo kitty. Please don't leave me!"

As Natsuki continued to be hypnotized by Misha's swinging white fluffed tail, Monika and I growled at her in perfect unison.

"Stop abusing her!"

While Natsuki pouted angrily off in the corner, Monika decided to order a table for three. I wined in embarrassment as I questioned her if we were really, truly going to submit to such a niche and fetishized café.

"Well we can't just leave after causing the cat-… I mean, Misha, so much trouble. Can we kitty?"

Monika began to pull at Misha's cat ears almost by complete autonomy as I slapped at her unknowing and defiling hand.

"Monika, don't you go and start now!"

"Ehe… sorry. Couldn't help myself, Anon~."

While Monika removed her hands, Misha took a quite breath and stifled a small blush on her cheeks. She looked to me shyly as she adjusted her cat ears back into proper, cat-like position.

"Please. Pick any table you wish, and call for me when you're ready to order."

All three of us gave a polite bow as we walked inside the 'cat café'. Monika dragged at Natsuki's ear as the pink devil desperately tried to claw her way back to Cat-Misha, and unexpectedly, Misha gave a small hiss as they trod out of sight. She then turned to me standing alone at the entrance in loss for words until I brought my eyes to hers. Misha then spoke up quietly as if to hide her voice from the two girls.

"Do you want to touch my ears too, Master?"

I blushed lightly as I quickly huffed before giving her fluffy ears a light rub. Even I wasn't as heartless as to pass up an offer like that…

A few minutes later our ordered coffee's and cakes plopped down onto our table with a satisfying clink… and for a small while the silence and atmosphere was peaceful and professional, even almost tolerable until broken by the expectant Natsuki.

"Oh-oh, Misha! Make a cat sound! Pretty please?"

The girl in question furrowed her eyes slightly at Natsuki before posing her hands beneath her chin.

"Nyah?"

Natsuki beamed in delight as she too posed her hands over her head like a set of cat ears and then responded with equal skill in cat speech.

"Nyan!"

Natsuki turned to us as Misha left our table with a blush and pout as she explained her catty remark.

"I-I was just saying 'I love you' in cat… jeez."

We all giggled together in a pleasing peace.

In the elegancy and awkwardness of the cat-café the three of us drank and ate silently, secretly missing a certain key person to the mix of the literature club. As the many maids dressed like cats and fancy servants tended to the overly excited and primarily male customers filling the café, we all clicked our cups down to the table and dawdled with small talk. I then piped up in a more serious tone for the brief moment our chatter seemed to die down.

"It's a huge shame Yuri isn't around… she would have loved all this."

I touched my tea cup to the tips of my fingers longingly in confirmation until Monika glared at me slightly.

"Well, considering the circumstances, I believe that she would prefer to stay at home…"

I then glared back at Monika as she uncaringly talked of my mistake out loud without any kind of human consideration. And as she sensed my distaste with her, she clapped her hands together and cocked her head in her usually cutesy manner. Yet my spine couldn't help but shiver at how truly fake she seemed at this moment…

"Ah, don't worry, Anon. Natsuki knows already."

I slammed my fist down onto the table. Natsuki squealed as she brought her hands to face, almost as if she expected me to strike her. I breathed heavily as I took my burning hands to my temples and spoke dryly through my deathly black hair covering my features. The bustling noise of the café returned after the small while I stayed completely, and sickly silent.

"Sorry, Natsuki…"

She leaned in slightly towards me as she put a delicate hand to my shoulder. I jumped at the unexpected contact as the softness of her fingers and palm rubbed warmly against my figure. I appreciated her comfort greatly as I internally thanked her for her strangely mature and calm approach to the situation.

I brought my attention back to Monika, who had been oddly quiet.

"Monika… you had no right in telling anyone."

Like a grade schooler being accused of some unimportant and meaningless mistake, she simply interweaved her fingers, and placed them under her chin so they covered her mouth. She responded incredibly coldly, almost devoid of any of her warm emotion I had come to desperately seek from her over the past week.

"I don't see the problem since were all friends."

I notice Natsuki raise her forehead to Monika with an almost petrified glare.

"Monika, I really don't-"

Natsuki was quickly interrupted by Monika clearing her throat with authority.

"Since she's with her family now, I don't see why anyone needs to worry. Lets just forget about her. Okay~?"

"…"

"…"

"H-hey, Anon? Wanna come buy me a drink?"

"Uh, sure."

Natsuki and I moved from our seats with a deafening and horrible screech of wood on polished floor. Monika kept her innocent pose as she decided not to bother in making any kind eye contact with us as we almost ran to the out of the way vending machine in some far-off corner of the school we rarely ever visited.

The warm afternoon sun failed to reach our deficient and pale skin as a deeply dark cloud obstructed over the pleasing light. At that moment it seemed that all the trees, the grass, the faraway corners and streets were all lit by this comforting light save for one dark space where Natsuki and I lent against a wall slowly drinking a pair of melon soda's. As we tossed our green cans unceremoniously into a small metal trash can with a strikingly cold sound, we both attempted to stave off our mutual fear of our club president listening in to our conversation.

"Listen, Anon. I usually wouldn't be on your side for this, but. Monika's been acting a bit… strange lately. Especially with what she said just now…"

I flipped a hundred-yen coin in my fingers as I listened to the slightly out of character way Natsuki spoke to me.

"I actually called Yuri this morning after I heard what happened, weird I know. I just wanted to see, er, 'hear' how she was doing but… when she picked up the phone…"

I cut in before she continued.

"Wait, she picked up?"

Natsuki nodded quietly as she uncomfortably shifted around on the old, cracked, and unstable concreate wall.

"She didn't say anything. All I heard was Yuri… breathing heavily over the phone."

I felt my gut boil over like a saucepan filled with black tar.

"Then she just said. 'Sorry, I was expecting someone else.' and hung up…"

The small coin slipped from my fingers and smashed down onto the concreate floor. Natsuki jumped in fright as she struggled to finish speaking. She opened her mouth several times as the words seemed to fall short of leaving her throat.

"I-I thought I heard Monika say that Yuri was staying with her family. But considering she was still home this morning… It just doesn't add up."

Why did I ever trust Monika's word in the first place? I finally responded in a mere whisper as I spoke our hidden fears aloud.

"Monika's lying."

Natsuki went silent for thirty long seconds.

"Probably…"

…

!

"Monika, come out here right now!"

I yelled out into the small courtyard in full expectance that Monika would reply to me until the clicking of heels on stone echoed over our heads as the girl with the white ribbon stepped out from the dark.

"What's going on, love?"

Natsuki screamed as Monika revealed herself to us. And although we completely expected it, it still sent cold flushes through our bodies like thousands of tiny needles piercing our skin. Natsuki slid down to the ground and cradled her knees in her hands as she began to shake. I stepped in front of her in a pathetic attempt at protection as I ground my teeth together in my mouth, adrenaline filling my chilled blood.

"You're going to kill her you know? If you keep doing this."

I then laughed mockingly with a sharp bite to my each of my syllables.

"Don't you understand that...?"

Monika opened her mouth to speak until only a small whimper escaped her lips. Her posture slumped slightly as she delicately brushed a gentle bang behind her ear. She avoided my eyes and looked to the afternoon clouds in the distance as I witnessed tears fill her eyes. She looked back to me with her reddened emerald eyes like a pair of cut gemstones as she spoke to me in a pained silence.

"I… I'm not doing this because I want to, Anon."

I felt her voice waver at my name as if she felt great difficulty bringing it to her lips. She spoke again this time with a raised voice that straddled over my ears like broken glass, and rich wine.

"Anon, I can't let you die for her. I can't let it end like that..."

I brought her inches from my face as I grabbed a fist full of her perked collar. My hands trembled as I felt it difficult to hold back my feelings and as I continued to pull her up by her collar in rising disgust and hatred, I couldn't help but be calmed while gazing into her naturally pleasing gem-like eyes. I thought back idly to one of the last times I'd seen Yuri. I thought back to the time we were in this exact position, and what she had said to me…

"What the hell makes you think you should have any say in how I live my life?"

She lost my gaze for another moment and spoke in a careless whisper to me.

"Your rejection hurts you know. Knowing that you don't love me, and that my feelings will never reach… It hurts so much. But if you got hurt just because I sat by idly accepting this Hell. I'd rather kill myself."

…

I let her go.

Her answer was almost exactly what I had told Yuri that day.

I'm such a hypocrite. My heart hurt in my chest as Monika looked to me expectantly.

"Monika…"

I now talked to her calmly.

"Take me to her. Now."

After picking Natsuki up from the concrete, and Monika treating her to a strawberry milk from the vending machine, we said our goodbyes and parted ways. As Monika and I trod around a corner she took my hand in hers as we stopped.

"Anon. You don't know what you're getting into."

I stared at her believing no need for me to say anything.

"Just promise me you'll come back alive. Please."

I nodded.

She took both my hands in hers and we slowly whisked away in a blinding black light. although I felt us travel a great distance, and although I felt completely alone in this frightening dusk, I could still feel the warmth of Monika's hands in this dead vortex.

"Monika, are you still there?"

I heard a slight hum in conformation from the chestnut-haired girl.

"Monika, I…"

I felt a soft finger on my lips as she hushed me.

"Its fine, Anon. Just promise me you'll come to our date this Saturday, ok?"

I laugh slightly at this.

"Sure, Monika. I look forward to it…"

I heard her giggle sweetly from some far-off place. It was the last gentle thing I heard until I found my self in a similarly dark room. The familiar aroma of Yuri's home fed into my nose until the scent of iron hit my senses like a truck. Disgusting, bloody iron.

The carpet was red.

There was blood everywhere.


	6. Chapter 6 Friendly abyss

A slitting wind thundered through the intestine like halls blackened with hair shattering cold. Color in her house a foreign delight spare from the blue starlight reflecting off the crystalline pools of blood. Deleted life freezing further below warmth and comfort on the chocolate-like wooden floor. The light and delicate wind let in from the open windows twisted down into the belly of the house following the trail of blood far through an abandoned darkness. Anon thought, that if a spider was murdered and one crawled through its lifeless, poisonous body, it would resemble something similar to this house.

Very fitting for her, he laughed.

He had been standing there, a single foot frozen in that liquid redness for a torturous amount of time. There, he watched the sun cut through the sky and fall to night through the empty windows in the hall. Anon wished that the ungodly fear that the death smelling hallway gifted to his heart would flutter away like a butterfly, preening itself with wings of red and black. As the painfully still night began to creep into the silent house, the freezing only grew stronger.

Outside of those hallway windows to the cold reality a stray cloud blew its way from the deep coverage it held over the moon. The pale light beamed into the red and black hallows with the white arms of a long-forgotten goddess. The light slowly moved down the hallway. Finally, the revealing beams laid themselves on two purple gems gleaming like galaxy's in the passages of death.

"Yu…ri"

She was there the whole time. At the end of the hallway.

Dying alone in the darkness like she always did.

The light fell emotionlessly over the girl's face. Even with the paleness of the moon and stars, none could match the colors of ghosts that gleamed from her face and reflected light with a mirror polish.

She was still so beautiful he thought.

He moved his almost dead feet, treading towards her with even thumps of skin on wood. The listlessness of his steps filled the harrowing silence as he neared her beatless form, hoping by some extension of madness that the heartbeat like steps he took would reignite the empty space deep in her chest. His toes soaked themselves in her blackening fluids. They marked his steps in her home with Yuri's own blood, forcibly conjuring the image into his mind that he was the murderer. The one who marked her for death.

Blood all over her body. perfect and elegant like rubies dipped in the deepest of reds and impossibly polished by rain and wind. Perfect stones. Anon fell to her and clasped her weightless body in his hands, repeating apology like a broken record into her ears that would never hear another sound, and lips that would never speak familiar stutters or composed clarity ever again.

The wind finally broke.

Her eyes moved a single inch to meet with his, as if they caused great pain to do so. Her body lay completely dead apart from her galactic gems that still shun with an inch of reanimation and hope as meaningless and cold tears dripped down onto her ghost like face.

It only took a blink to realize that he was hallucinating.

No sound or spec of reality he found in his mind would tear him away from the faintest hope that they could still be together. With the delicacy of a frozen ocean, he plucked the silver blade from her cold fingers.

When his eyes welled again with tears he could swear they were glowing as they passed down onto Yuri's face as he intertwined his hand with hers. Anon could think of no cozier death than in her arms. Although all warmth should have left the two lovers, there was an incredible heat emanating from them as blood fell from Anon's chest.

"I love you too, Anon."

He couldn't tell whether he really heard her say that or not. He was dying, it could have easily been his minds final attempt at self-preservation, to give him the motivation to stay alive. Yet, Anon had never heard something so real.

…

…

The sound of wind but no feeling. No familiar chill or comforting breeze he'd grown accustomed too over temperate summer days and lonely winter nights. Just sound in a terrible blackness. Light failing to pass through the spectacle of pure night. Only numbness slipping over his cold fingers and hair. The way the abyss melted into his scalp like lovable hands reminded him briefly of a memory.

Once, in what seemed like a horrible amount of passed time, Monika had been late to the club, and Natsuki strangely fell absent on that particular day. On this quiet afternoon before the festival it had just been the two of them. Just Yuri and him for a small while until Monika eventually made her appearance. It wasn't for long, but, whilst reading, Anon had managed to fall asleep on the desk next to the (at the time) very timid and gentle Yuri. Unconsciously he felt no malice in her presence, no terror in falling asleep next to the girl. So, his mind wandered terribly easy into a dream like state next to her, tired from some unknown or forgotten amount of school work.

He awoke only a few minutes later to feel a delicately soft sensation gliding through his obsidian-like in blackness hair. Yuri, for the brief amount of time Anon was asleep, had curled her long fingers around his head and moved him slowly to her lap, becoming idle as she wistfully stroked at Anon's girlishly soft locks in perfect harmony with her own heartbeat. Anon felt the tightness of his chest as the comforting presence of such a lonely person so similar in nature to his own pensive heart made a single, distant connection to him. Her ghost like hands lovingly played with his hair in a sweet rhythm, and strangely, it had moved him.

What had happened to those idle times, he thought.

"It really is a nice memory, Anon."

…

…

Wh… who was that…?

He couldn't even hear his own voice. How should he deserve to hear another?

"I'll be honest, I'm kinda jealous that's what you picked for your final memory!"

The voice felt like it had recently passed through a thousand different rays of warm sunshine as it reverberated soothingly and familiarly through his ears. Like striking a lost cord.

"You… you really don't remember me, do you, Anon?"

There was a noticeable pain in her voice. As if a crack appeared in a jar of blueberry jam threatening to spill its sweet contents onto the ground. Or maybe on some toast? Anon smiled at the thought.

"Y-You sound familiar if that's anything to you."

At his response Anon could hear a light chuckle quietly playing in his ears.

"Ehe. I guess it kind of is something to me after all this time. I've really missed you, you know? Like, really really missed you… So much that it hurts."

Anon said nothing at this. He didn't know her.

"Anyways! I guess you wanna know who I am, right Anon?"

Uh

"I… guess?"

The girl gave such a cheery atmosphere compared to the death-like abyss that she was in. It felt so fake to him, so artificial. Like he'd been told the same lie a thousand times over just to ease some selfish part of his own conscience.

Oh wait, he had told a lie like that.

God, he hated how much of a hypocrite he could be.

"Well. I'm the girl that was trapped here for loving you. Trapped by an unfeeling goddess that now wants me to help in saving her ass. Or, more saving her own guilty mind as if she really cares about anyone at all."

Unfeeling… goddess…?

She's talking about Monika. There's no one else that fits that heavenly role.

"So, Anon, we're gonna do a bit of a swapsies! My life for yours, and Monika's for Yuri's. We as two useless gods have deemed you worthy of rescue from your damnation!"

That last part was said with heavy emphasis on sarcasm. Anon hoped. The girls childish voice eased his throbbing anxiety as it brought some smidgen of warmth to the desolate blackness he felt he would never escape from. He then truly processed the 'goddesses' words.

"Wait… no! Please, stop it… I've already killed enough people for my own sake. Your life is worth so much more than mine. I'm worthless…"

Anon didn't even know where these words were coming from, or whether he even believed them himself.

"No, really, its ok, Anon. This is all I've wanted ever since we met. I'm practically dead in here anyway so nothing will change at all if I just suddenly up and vanish from this cruel reality. You don't have a choice. I want to do this. Monika is finally giving me an out, and I'm willing to take it if that means that you'll finally be happy, Anon."

Why do I always cause more death the more I try to prevent it?

"You know, Anon, if it'll ease your pain a little I could tell you something nice, if you want?"

Please tell me. I can't take this.

"So… you know how people say that before you die your whole life flashes before your eyes?"

I nod my invisible head, I don't want to speak anymore. I don't want there to be any possibility my words act as bullets, killing this uncommonly kind friend in the void of death.

Or is this hell? A punishment.

"Well, I had a little chat with Monika when she got deleted that one time and she talked about her life playing on repeat before she finally wound up in this trashy place. And even during the first time I came here I experienced something like that."

So what?

"Well, Mr. Grumpy Pants! I'm saying that memory that played in your head before you got here was just a single event. You and Yuri."

…

"So, if you had any doubts whether your love for her was true… there's your proof that it is. Yuri is your world, your everything, Anon. And your prepared to dedicate your life to her, to make her your life."

No

No

No

No

No

No

Stop,

stop,

stop,

stop!

STOP IT!

"I CAN BRING YOU BACK."

"I'LL JUST MANIPULATE MONIKA INTO COOPERATING."

"I CAN SAVE YOU FROM BEING DELETED."

"I CAN SAVE YOU."

Anon didn't even know what he was saying… Deleted? The word just slipped out.

That was enough for the eternity voided friend to snap. Her voice carried the sting of ice as she broke through her own century long composure and humanity. What little was left of her compassionate, human side was set aside in favor of verbally abusing the hell out of Anon's absolute, horrid stupidity.

"Enough with the damn manipulation already you fucking moron!"

The friends voice was then muted by Anon's cries.

"IS THERE ANYTHING INHERENTLY WRONG WITH WANTING TO SAVE EVERYONE FROM THEMSELVES?"

Anon's voice was corpse like, hoarse, and cackling. Any true, merciful god watching would find it difficult to deduce who was more inhuman.

He felt a mechanical click in his skull.

Anon remembered.

Once he'd tried to save another. In some other time, some other reality. Then, she had died. All because of him she died. He'd remembered how pointless it all was just for her to just give up and hang herself like some warped Christmas decoration. After that he woke up like nothing had ever happened, memories of his best friend deleted from his brain, like he didn't even care.

"Your name… was. Sayori… wasn't it?"

She was still alive.

…

…

Hey everyone, this is Unconfident. I honestly can't apologies enough for pretty much abandoning this story for a few months. I'm not going act as if this is justification, but I've been going through my final year of schooling and needless to say it has been pretty tough. I really have had the time to write but it just didn't feel right and I had no proper motivation. However, in saying that I can say with full confidence that I will eventually finish this story. I might even add some bonus alternate stories as an apology. Think Monika, Yuri, and MC together in some sort of lewd way if you catch my meaning. Haha, anyway I'm really sorry for putting this off. Thank you so much for reading.


	7. Chapter 7 Do it, or Don't

The were pauses for several moments, in the abyss with the friendly ghost.

And as he remembered the name, another several flashes of that coral-pink haired, foolish angel filled his memories.

A name is a key, Anon believed. As humans attach names to one another, they recognize each other within their own personal reality. When introductions are made, names shared, an individuals knowledge of another human increases by one and their world becomes a little more full, and a little less lonely. In the case of his childhood friend, Anon could never pin point a time in which he learned Sayori's name in his past. It was as if their names, Both Anon and Sayori's, were always known to each other. This comforted him deeply for the longest time. Always having someone dear to him and with him in the world. Someone that was always next to him, just a thought away. They were never truly alone when they had each other's names.

Therefore, as Sayori's name came back to him, a weight lifted from his chest and he gained something without fear of loosing it. A feeling he longed for, the kind of friend he always wanted to share the world with.

Yet, deep down he knew that feelings changed.

Hence, why he never intended to join that literature club.

Time changes things. That which once brought great comfort became seeds for rain-like thoughts. Through this, he had distanced himself from Sayori, the bundle of sunshine, friendship, warmth. To spare himself and his other half, Sayori, from change.

He had loved her too much, like family, like a sister for their friendship to continue the way it was. Because he knew that the way Sayori began to love him was different. It was that what scared him. Love. He never had the knack of confronting things like that.

The memories stopped at that point. No real recollection of their time spent together, just, feelings. Small thoughts.

Sayori then found her voice in his great pause.

"You see, Anon, I'm trading my life for yours. You… understand me when I say that right?"

Anon felt so familiar when they talked, and their familiarity soothed his mind like sweet honey. He took a few long breaths and simply pretended, pictured something in his mind. The image, in the darkness, came to fill it. Just him and Sayori sitting in his room, on his bed. Leaning against his home's hard walls and a thin blanket flowing over their chilly legs and feet. Half empty bottles of cola, opened potato chips, chocolate over on the bedside desk and some silly pop music of Sayori's choice filling the smooth air. One of their good times. A situation that came so naturally to him. Finding strength in his best friend, Anon brought himself back to their talks.

He looked to his fluffy haired partner with nostalgic eyes, painful, yet beautifully matched with hers. She stared back similarly with a light smile dashing through her lips as always. He pressed her question

"But don't you want to come back… come back with me?"

She tilted her head and her hair bounced a little. She shifted her covered legs up and rested her head in her knees.

"Hah, yeah."

She let out her heart with a sigh. She contently mustered her now quiet voice.

"I'd love to. But it just, hmmm, can't happen that way? I guess?"

Anon laughed a little at how halfheartedly she responded. He mimicked her way of sitting, leaning against himself as he shallowly spoke back.

"Why?"

It was her turn to laugh.

"because I don't want to! I really… really wanna do stuff like this again. Like, being here with you like this is just…. I'd stay here with you forever if I could you know…. But you won't be there with me if I go back. That's the truth, Anon. I think the point is, is that people do things. So, those things are out of our control, right? So just let it happen…? Yeah!"

So bravely, so brightly confronting her own death. Her depressive mind never to find part in her thoughts. No fraction of her at this moment was consumed by self-hatred or a sense that the world would be better without her. Instead in her sunny, warm eyes was a compassion that was directly linked to the wellbeing of others. Sayori was consumed by demons, yes, horrible death-craving demons. But, attached to that was her fragile heart. A soul that was absolutely and deeply connected to her love for the people around her.

" **So, I should just do nothing?"**

"Yeah!"

" **But how does that help anyone?"**

"Because sometimes doing nothing is just as important as doing something, Anon."

" **But that doesn't make sense, doing nothing is never important. That's the whole point of doing nothing."**

"True, but if you have people you love around you, they can do things too. It doesn't have to all depend on you."

" **I should depend on others?"**

"Yes, because people can save themselves, and knowing that you care about them is enough. You don't need to do anything in order to positively impact someone's day. Sometimes just the thought of you or a memory of something you did together can make someone happy."

" **Do I really impact those around me that much?"**

"Yes. So you have to know when to act and when to stay still."

" **How should I know when to do either of those things?"**

"By having faith in both yourself and those you love, Anon."

" **Having faith…"**

Anon could never save everyone. He was naïve to think so.

Sayori stood up from her comfy tomb of blankets and skipped, melancholily, towards the door. She turned, smiling as pin pricks of soft water propelled down her cheeks. Anon slowly walked to her. They both looked down, neither saying a word. Sayori took hold of Anons left sleeve. Small squeaks and sniffles, barely containing herself.

"I… I gotta go now, Anon."

Her coral hair slightly messy, crumbs on her school shirt, unbuttoned blazer. Every part slightly out of place yet in the right place. Entirely her. Sayori was Sayori and always would be. Anon took his shaky hands. He went to button up her blazer and she laughed softly through her flushed sobs. He stopped himself short and instead brushed away the teared lines chaining her face.

"I… I always thought you looked better with it unbuttoned."

She cried. Heavily. Her expression this time cracked, bruised from her heart welling up in her chest. There was never anything Sayori couldn't do without smiling, but not now. Anon threw his arms around her desperately, screaming and crackling through his own tears, the pain in his chest. She was so warm, so familiar, so genuine. She wore her heart on her sleeve as always. So just this once, he would too.

They wept for an eternity in each other's arms until the imaginary room, the dream, began to dissipate.

"You'll always be my dearest friend, Anon. Now watch me, and I'll do nothing. I'll wait for you to make things alright, I know you will. Then maybe, we'll see each other again. Okay?"

"I love you so much. Goodbye"

...

...

-Heyyyy it's me, the writer. I'm going to be totally honest, I hate this chapter. I think it's a lot of garbage rambling, but it's all I could write. I kind of think I put myself in a difficult writing situation. There isn't much to describe in terms of scenery or objects so I can't really bounce the characters around with places or things to add depth to the overall chapter. Being in a complete void is a pretty un-inspirational scenario to write about. Anyway enough complaining and more apologizing. Once again i'm truly sorry for abandoning this story AGAIN for a couple of months. I don't really know what to write anymore or how to write it. I feel like i'm loosing a lot of motivation. I'm sorry. Again, though, I am confident that I will finish this story. Hopefully now that i'm out of the abyss I can have more fun writing different scenes. I am totally aware of how boring this chapter is, and i'm sorry. Please let me know if you have any criticism (i love criticism) and general thoughts. I could keep rambling like this forever but, with how short my latest chapters have been, this is nearly more content than this actual chapter. Heh. Anyway, i'm still having a lot of fun writing this and i'll make sure to pick the plot back up and make it much more interesting. I love you all so much for your continual support of this dead story. Thank you so much! Until next time! (probably 2 years from now with the way i'm going)


	8. Chapter 8 Time Away (Side-story)

WARNING: Hello again, its the author. Just as clarification THIS IS A SIDE STORY. This is not cannon with my main fanfic, nor does it take place in the exact same timeline. Think of it as an alternate reality. As for the status of relationships. Yuri and Anon are friends that are beginning to see each other as more, and Monika and Anon are friends that are having a hard time figuring out exactly what they mean to each other (sexual tension, weird romantic feelings), and... well... Natsuki is just there. This is the side-story that i promised in an early chapter so... be prepared for things to get steamy. I'm sorry in advanced and really hope you all enjoy this as I've had a lot of fun writing it so far. This is probably a part one of three/two. haven't decided yet. Enjoy!

"one, two, one, two…"

In purposefully even intervals her running shoes collided with the soft grass of the school track. With each bobbing of up and down, her arms rhythmically swung with her paced movement, and her smoky purple hair bounced consistently throughout her jog. The damp icy fog that ran thick around the campus during first period, always around winter, cooled her skin boiling from the rapid activity. The stitch in her side caused her to stop for a moment, leaning up against the bars that surrounded the course. Cold metal on her hot fingers, she hopped over-top of the railings and leant her forearms sleepily against the blueish steel bar and overlooked her classmates sporting in the central oval.

"hah… hah…"

She tried to breathe deeply and catch herself, her motivation for Sport and Rec. This, being her absolute dreaded, hated, least favourite class. Not words she usually used, in fact she frowned upon using them.

She didn't really like to hate things…

But when she saw the class fully engaged in… whatever game it was they were playing, she felt certain emotions. Everyone always picking her last, the looks from the boys she would get whenever she jumped, sprinted, tripped over. 'Wow, look at those', 'She's a knockout', 'should we really pick the bookworm?', did they think she couldn't hear? It was barbaric… But, she began to think, somewhat justified. She hated sport, yes, loathed it even. So isn't it fair for people who have love for the class to treat her with the same disrespect she openly showed it?

She thought it better to be out of their way than just inconvenience everyone. Be gawked at like a fish out of water. A simple "Sorry sir, I have terrible back pain. Could I just run around the pitch for now?" was the perfect combination of willingness to seemingly want to participate in sport, yet also acknowledgment of her own physical ailments. Sympathy and empathy. It usually worked in getting her out of the main class.

Shaking her head and roughly attempting to dispel the thoughts, she drew one last hefty breath and pushed herself off the steel railings. Tying her long, violet, spiders-silk hair into a ponytail and prepared to continue her run.

"Hey, if you take the hair away from her face and she actually looks pretty cute!"

She froze. She began hearing those, somewhat now familiar, multiple heavy steps on the ground slowly creeping to her. She hunched over slightly. She tried to think of something else, anything else. With her back still to the approaching group, her hands shakily found the end of her ponytail and ran her fingers through it. Her tick that she got from them.

This time, one of the girl's voices piped up after the boy's comment.

"Careful, she might just get obsessed with you if you compliment the bookworm like that."

They all couldn't stop after that...

"Or cut you up after she's done with you!"

"You seriously find that little freak cute?"

Straightening her back, she turned around slowly, kept her head to the ground and undid her hair. letting it fall back over her face she tried speaking up like last time. They were so repulsive, why did they keep doing this?

"I… I w-would never…"

" **Huh? Did you say something? Speak up."**

"I… u-um."

Her head and shoulders sunk down further. A heavy weight fell down on her chest and stomach like she had swallowed lead. She didn't want to speak anymore, feel like this anymore.

Another set of steps approached her from the side. Lighter and quicker. Like haste was with them but somewhat disguised with their usual walking pace. Keeping their cool whilst also sounding authority. Turing her heavy head she found her eyes met with gentle emerald. Concerned and fierce, the school idol brisked to her side.

"Hey guys! Sorry to bother you, but teacher says you've all been chosen for clean up duty! Lucky you. He also says careful of the spiders, they haven't cleaned the sports shed in months. So don't get bit alright?"

Unusual ferocity was emphasised on her last comment. Sensing the situations turn, standing shocked and stiff, the revolting group turned around with a 'seriously? not again…' and 'god fucking damnit!'. Then, they left. The chestnut-haired girl turned and spoke with none of the venom her voice held a mere minute ago. Her ability to handle her emotive abilities, her speech, was completely phenomenal.

"Yuri… are you ok?"

It was Monika. Even Yuri knew her, barely. They had spoken on a few occasions, this being the only class they shared, and realised that she was the one, the only one, that talked to her without the sense of necessity that the others did. Speaking to Yuri like she was an actual person. Someone with feelings.

"M-Monika, it is Monika right? Thank you. Thank you so much, really. I-I'm sorry I-I made you…"

Monika then waved her hands in front of her face comically.

"Nonono please don't apologise, Yuri. I'm sorry for not coming over sooner. I just sat back and watched for the longest time… doing nothing."

Yuri proceeded to bow lowly and repeatedly as she stuttered.

"N-no, I'm truly grateful you came when you did. I'm terrible at handling these things as you can see."

The two smiled at each other. Both however slightly awkwardly and out of breath as neither were truly used to dealing with situations like these… even if they were exposed to them often. Monika guided Yuri over to a small bench under a large tree, leaves tossed over the ground and blanketing it golden brown. The sombre crunching of leaves beneath their feet felt relaxing and satisfying as the both sat down. In unison they both let out huge sigh, then laughed faintly at their brief mimicry.

"Hey, were you running before?"

At Monika's question she jumped lightly and began her usual explanation.

"Ah, yes. I have awful back pain so its difficult to participate in our usual activities. I figured I should still find some way to exercise so I began running. I-I'm very sorry for always sitting out and being useless."

Monika smirked and giggled sweetly as she added a little extra explanation.

"Ahaha, sorry I didn't mean to sound so accusing. I was actually wondering if you would mind me running with you. I'm… kind of sick of hanging around with that group, those ones just now. It's like their whole personality is based around the criticising of others. Really unhealthy if you ask me."

Shuffling around in her seat and straightening her hair, Yuri was slightly taken aback. Her soft and gemmy eyes widened happily in Monika's direction. It was apparent that Yuri was particularly surprised to find someone of the same opinion as her. Yuri cleared her throat as she looked back down at the ground, kicking a few leaves with the tips of her shoes.

"I really wouldn't mind at all if you ran with me! It's easy to get used to doing it alone, so adding another person introduces a whole new dynamic to the task. I-in other words it sounds fun!"

Monika raised from the slightly damp bench and extended her hand warmly to Yuri. The completely white, overcast winter sky placed them in a dim light. So as the morning eagerly progressed, the warmth of the sun drew the curtains of the fog back into the darkness and the sleek chill in the air began to dissipate. As Yuri took her hand, Monika smiled competitively.

"Well if you're so enthusiastic, lets do it! Try and keep up, Yuri~"

They slipped back through the spanning metal bars and onto the track. As Yuri tied her hair back into a ponytail, she took to her running stance.

"I will not lose!"

Seeing this new side of Yuri, who Monika usually observed as the quite type, was almost kind of exhilarating. Seeing this intensity however, reminded Monika briefly of where else she had seen a similar focus and passion from Yuri.

"Hey, Yuri. Aren't you in my advanced literature class?"

…...

…

…

"Ah! Huh?"

Yuri jolted out of her seat, nearly flinging backwards out of shock as she startled awake from a rare afternoon nap with dreams. Staggering back a few steps, Yuri fell into something soft encircling her figure, keeping her from toppling over. Yuri cocked her head left and right rapidly in confusion and found that someone not something had caught her. It was the subject of her dream. A dream she hadn't had in ages. A dream of their first true meeting, the day they became friends.

"Hahaha. Relax, Yuri. It's just me."

Monika had attempted to gently wake the sleeping Yuri. Yet, she seemed in such a deep sleep and after consulting Anon and Natsuki over at the other side of the clubroom, Monika decided that Anon's suggestion of 'just wait for her to wake up' probably wasn't helpful. So, Natsuki's expected input of 'shake her awake!' was accepted, with humour from Anon, by the club president.

"Oh. O-oh right. Apologies for dozing off everyone."

Still squished between Monika's arms, Yuri rubbed her eyes a bit and sighed softly.

"Ahh, you're so warm. May I go back to sleep?"

After laughing for a bit, Monika pushed Yuri off and she plopped back down in her seat. Groaning, she continued.

"You could have at least allowed me to wake up myself you know…"

Monika waddled around to the front of Yuri's desk and signed for everyone to gather around as it seemed Yuri wouldn't be moving from her seat. Natsuki and Anon packed away their manga as the poring spores of bright dust flew through the light of the windows during the typical afternoon. They waltzed over together and plonked down on the nearby seats until Anon spoke up.

"I told you guys we should've just let her sleep"

As Monika and Natsuki both responded with a roundabout shrug and smirk at each other, Yuri turned her listless head towards Anon's seat. Since not seeing him for the majority of the day, and while seemingly still half asleep, she waved at Anon sleepily with a small smile. He waved back with a little laugh.

"Okay everyone!"

Uh oh, the catchphrase. Everyone's attention was now on Monika.

"So, as we all know summer break is coming up soon, aaaand as our club has been mostly inactive for its life span, I thought that we should put a little effort in and actually do something fun this year!"

Everyone sighed at that word 'effort' and with a minor grumble and scowl, Monika snapped her fingers.

"Unfortunately we can't pull off anything as big and, uh… what's the word for what the other clubs always do?"

This is when Yuri chipped in with a loud yawn.

"unnecessarily extravagant."

Anon snorted and Natsuki chuckled loudly at that remark. Monika too joined in for a bit then cleared her throat.

"Yeah, that's it. So instead of doing some odd event for some random festival, I did a little talking with the staff and one of the more passionate English teachers suggested we take a club trip!"

Everyone went silent for several moments while processing that information. Sure, the _four_ members of the literature club had all been friends for quite a while now, but there had never really been any interaction outside of school to any major degree. The only real exception being the occasional visit by Yuri to Anon's house.

"A, a trip? What kind of trip?"

Monika grinned at Yuri's question and happily responded.

"Well apparently a couple of hours from here there's a cabin deep in the mountains. Some famous poet wrote some famous poem there. I… don't really remember or care what the teacher said about all that history stuff, but he was really passionate about it!"

"*cough cough* typical *cough cough*"

This was said by practically everyone, be it verbally or not.

"Oy! Anyways, we've even managed to acquire some funding from the school to pay for the trip. The only catch is that by the end of it, we each have to write a poem inspired by our trip and present them at school assembly when vacation ends. Oh, and we'll be stay there for just one night."

It was apparent that Monika was extremely excited about the idea of this trip. Anon closed his eyes and gave some ample thought. He like the idea too. There was nothing worse than being cramped up in classes during the best weather of the year, and with exams coming after summer-break it would be a great opportunity to really breath and take a well-deserved break for a couple of days.

"S-s-s-s-s-staying the night?!"

Furious stammering from Yuri was also accompanied by Natsuki's worried glances. Both Monika and Anon seemed to take to the idea well enough without much hesitation, but the other two were certainly more apprehensive about the idea. Anon remembered how easy it was to forget that not so long ago both Yuri and Natsuki, to put it softly, were alone. He guessed that the prospect of an overnight stay with so many new friends must have been very foreign to the both of them.

Anon noticed that in their apprehension, it was odd, but there was a slight hint of guilt in Monika's eyes. Her soft emeralds narrowed the tiniest bit and her usual resting smile died a little. It was one of those moments where he couldn't put to words what she was really thinking. He thought that at the least her thoughts must have reached the same conclusion as his. But to what extent of realisation her expression showed was always unclear. Anon poked Monika on the shoulder a couple of times and she released a shallow breath. Monika turned and smiled, shaking her head as if queuing Anon not to worry. Then as he brought his eyes back to the others, he noticed Yuri was stealing glances at him. Actually, so was Natsuki… Until he realised what the issue was.

He was the issue.

"Uh, if you guys are bothered by it I don't really have to go- "

Before he could properly address the clear issue all three of the girls looked as if they were about to say something but Natsuki responded quickly, cutting him off.

"Hey, don't sweat it big guy. I'm speaking for everyone when I say we trust you. Well, mostly anyway."

Anon thought that was actually pretty mature, nice even, of her to say. She was so quick to point that out that it made him feel a little warm in his chest. He was calmed too when he gazed to Yuri and seeing her nod enthusiastically. Monika though, in the midst of a slightly serious mood, gave a very obvious and obnoxious wink in Anon's direction. They both laughed it off as the other two sat confused.

"Thanks, Natsuki. Really."

…

…

…

Some time passed and after a long, boring while of planning and compromising the sun started to drift lower and lower into the horizon and the dim clubroom became a signal of the literature clubs disbandment for the day.

"Alrighty then. So! Next Saturday, first weekend of break, 9:30 at the train station. Everyone ok with those arrangements?"

A murmur of agreement and nods filled the clubroom and with that, both Yuri and Natsuki packed their books in a hurry. Yuri brushed the invisible dirt and dust from her school uniform and brushed her hair with her fingers before waltzing to the door and addressing her exit formally.

"Well, I was hoping to make it to the library today, so I'll be off early. Sorry everyone."

As Monika waved her off with a 'don't sweat it', Natsuki also marched towards the door notably without all the extra care Yuri put into her step and stride. While catching up to her she yelled out to her.

"H-hey! Yuri! My house is on the way, wanna walk together?"

Without seeing us off she ran down the hall out of the clubroom. Echoing around the empty school halls were her pitter patter steps as she ran to meet up with Yuri. The two remaining clubmates thought it was really nice to see them getting along so well after their shaky start.

And that was it. Anon and Monika, Just the two of them left in the room. The sun that was filtering through the clubroom lost its piercing yellow tinge and progressed to orange. Then, only just bordering onto red, a fine line being crossed very slowly, steadily. The notable scent of lavender, Yuri's perfume, left in the room after she disappeared. The cupboard door left open after Natsuki clearly forgot, or couldn't be bothered, to close it. Anon then brought his eyes over to Monika. Her back to Anon, she sunk into a seat across the room and crossed her long legs. She took a small capsule from her school bag. Opening it, she took a small brush from its contents and began to apply some kind of makeup smoothly to her face. The night turning light reflected off her hair like a mirror of hazelnuts as it bounced from her shoulders. With each of her tight movements her long brunette strands strayed like smoke along her shapely back. The different shades of Monika's hair mingled constantly with the lights colours of dark red and bright orange, merging like linseed oil mixing itself with paint. The mysterious beauty of her form was memorising, therefore as she gazed into her makeup-mirror to judge her efforts, Anon and Monika shared their gazes just for an instant through the reflection. She snapped the mirror shut and bashfully commented to Anon.

"It's rude the stare at a lady putting on her makeup, you know?"

Her voice totally still in terms of pitch. Mature, and deep. Monika then cleared her throat as she brought another small item from her bag. Apparently being perfume, she spritzed it over her neck and wrists. Anon then swiftly turned around in his chair and mumbled nervously.

"Jeez Mon, where are you going after this? Meeting up with a boyfriend, huh?"

She giggled in reply. Anon heard the screeching of her chair moving across the floor, and her slow steps nearing the area around his turned back.

"Heh, if only, Anon~"

She then totally neared him. Slowing her pace further, she spoke in a somewhat different manner. With the hints of huskily training her voice to his ears, she moved past him again.

"I was only kidding, I don't mind if you stare."

Monika then flicked the back of his head with her index finger and Anon groaned with a mixture of laughter and exaggerated pain. They both briefly made eye contact as Monika responded in humour, then moved towards the open cupboard. The mint smell of her perfume drafted across the room as she brushed past. It filled the room like her own ghost chasing her. Fresh and assaulting.

Standing in front of the cupboard she placed her hands or her hips as she let out a loud sigh.

"She did it again! She left all her books on the floor… even after I told her not to yesterday…"

Anon guessed the culprit was Natsuki. It wasn't at all his fault, yet he still felt a little guilty... Anon began to move out of his seat as he offered to clean up.

"Oh yeah. Sorry. I was with her before so I can pick them up if you want."

" **No, its fine. I can do it, Anon."**

…

Monika slid down to her hands and knees, slowly curving her back. She turned briefly to meet eyes with Anon. Nothing but the corner of her eye, half lidded and smoky green, blinking shallowly. Smoothly, her head circled back around, and she leisurely began scooping up the books strewn on the cupboard floor. The deep blue hem of her school skirt tightly drew up her legs, exposing the white skin of her upper thighs. Her long black stockings, transparent and firm on her body, accentuated any of her silky skin revealed by her beckoning posture. Yieldingly, compromisingly, she traced around on the floor. As Monika moved further into the closet, collecting the last of the books, sliding further onto the ground, her skirt raised teasingly, more. The exhilarating curves of her lower back and upper skin of her thighs gave way to the edges of her white panties. She parted her slick legs with modesty. Willingly, purposefully showing herself to him.

Monika placed a hand over her behind, tightly pulling her skirt back over herself. She placed the pile of manga away on the top shelf and paused for a long while. She turned quickly, closing the closet door behind her, and paced towards Anon. He recoiled slightly as she stopped right before him, leering with those dreamy eyes. Monika. When the school idol got like this, she was so… coaxing, tempting, thrilling.

"I… sorry. I didn't mean to stare."

She smiled deeply. Like she had gotten exactly what she had wanted. She placed a single finger on Anon's chest, poking him with her nail and never taking their eye contact away from him. Their heartbeats where bludging through their eardrums while their senses only filling themselves further with each other.

"I told you, Anon~. I don't mind if _you_ stare at me."

Keeping her index finger locked to his chest, Monika then trailed it down Anons form. Once more, she bent down on her knees in front of him. Anon felt as if his heart would burst out of his chest as Monika trailed her hands up and down his legs.

"Silly. Your shoelace is untied."

She looked up to him as she did up his lace. Eyes slightly furrowed by the angle, yet wide as if trying to encompass as much of Anon as she could with them. Finishing with his lace, she stood up. Now infinitely closer than she was before, their noses practically touching. Monika inhaled deeply, and as she exhaled, her hot breath caressed over Anon's lips and neck.

"Monika. Your perfume… it's… really strong."

She hummed in response.

"hm, do you like it?"

Monika parted her hair away from her left, then interlocked her hands behind her back. She crocked her neck to the side, exposing the supple white flesh of her throat.

"wanna smell?"

Anon understood that Monika could have used her wrists as the subject for her suggestion as she put the perfume on them as well. Yet, she instead purposefully placed those out of the equation in preference for her neck.

Anon leant in. The complete and utter lack of their bodies pressing together, melting into each other drove them mad with expectation and desire. As Anon's shallow breathing fell over Monika's neck, she moaned into him, encouraging him. Supressing the desire to kiss her, to bite her, Anon retracted. They both stepped backwards in a thick haze of lust, collecting their scattered thoughts.

"S-sorry, Anon. We probably shouldn't. Not yet…"

The pair, gaining back their sense of propriety and control over their impulses, proceeded to promptly apologise to each other.

"N-no, I'm sorry too. I lead you on a lot there…"

…

…

"Well, Anon. In any case, we'll have plenty of time to get up close and personal on our trip. So, I'll see you around~."

As Monika exited the literature club the lingering scent of her mint perfume overpowered Yuri's lavender. However, instead of completely overtaking it, Anon found that they instead mingled together, melted into each other.

"Hey, Monika! Wait!"

Monika spun around on her heel from the other end of the cream coloured hallway.

Anon sped up a little while making his way over. Eventually with a light jog he rushed into Monika's arms, squeezing her tightly. Warm and cosy this time. After a small jolt of shock, Monika in mimicry leant into him and wrapped her arms tightly around him, smiling into his shoulder.

"I'm sorry Monika… I don't know. I don't know why we always end up like this… Is it healthy? Are we wrong acting like this?"

Monika shook her head into his chest. The soft rustling of their uniform's fabric brushing together filling the silence of the halls. Monika brought her face up from their embrace as the heavy blush came to both of their cheeks.

"I don't know either, Anon. I'm never like this, in fact I'd usually detest being like that… but with you I feel completely different. Nothing makes any sense…"

They pulled apart, separating from their hold on each other. Monika brushed her eyes a bit as the gems of tears began forming around her eyes. Whilst she swept at her damp cheeks she stammered.

"G-geez, your making my makeup run. You idiot."

They laughed croakily between holding back their feelings.

Eventually, they both made it to the intricately decorated, bronze school gate. With a few parting words, they set off in opposite directions. A little sad in separation, but content. They knew, at least, they would see each other again soon.


End file.
